The Pious and Faithful

"Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases, for the faithful disappear from among the sons of men. They speak lies to one another; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak. May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks proud things, who have said, 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?'" (Psalm 12:1-4).

In this age where the godly and faithful are disappearing, what kind of Christians should we be? We must be godly and faithful. In today's Scripture, Psalm 12:1-4, we can identify three qualities that the godly and faithful possess.

First, the godly and faithful have a sincere heart.

Those who are not godly and faithful have deceitful hearts. That’s why they cannot help but speak lies (v.2). However, we must speak the truth. We must be honest before God and others, and we must be honest with ourselves. We should cleanse our hearts with the word of truth (1 Peter 1:22). Our hearts should be hearts that enjoy freedom through God’s truth (John 8:32). From such hearts, God’s truth will naturally come out through our lips.

Second, the godly and faithful have a unified heart.

The godly and faithful are never double-minded or unstable (James 1:8). Those who are not godly and faithful are double-minded, and while their hearts are sharpened like a knife, their lips flatter (Psalm 12:2). Such flattering lips lead to destruction (Proverbs 26:28). But the godly and faithful do not flatter with their lips. Their inner hearts and outward words are consistent. They cannot lie, so they do not speak words that are not in their hearts. They speak from a sincere heart with honest words. They live honestly and truthfully before God and others, with a single mind and purpose.

Finally, the godly and faithful have a humble heart.

The godly and faithful boast of God with their lips. However, the ungodly and unfaithful boast with flattering lips: “They have said, ‘With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?’” (Psalm 12:4). They have not made Jesus the Lord of their hearts, so they consider their lips their own and boast in themselves through their words. The godly and faithful, however, have Jesus as their Lord in their hearts, and they know that their lips are also under His control. Therefore, they dedicate their lips to the Lord, boasting of Him and giving Him the glory.

Desiring to be godly and faithful,

Pastor James Kim
(Praying that, in the process of church remodeling, both our hearts and lips will also be remodeled).