“Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good: seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.” (Psalm 34:11-15)

This is a marvelous list of righteous behavior traits. David is known as a man who had a heart for God. It is passages like these words in song that reveal his love for his Creator.

If we want to enjoy the blessings of our Lord, if we desire His fellowship and His hand on our efforts, if we are to maintain confidence in our relationship with the One in whom is “no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5), then we must “walk in the light, as he is in the light” (1 John 1:7).

This is such a simple concept, yet it is at the root of much of the conflict in the Christian life. So many today appear to desire the approval of the world’s philosophy or its adherents, attempting to compromise the clear messages of the Word of God with the views and lifestyles of the wicked.

Note the action terms: “desire” life; “love” your time as a child of the King; “keep” your tongue from evil talk; “depart” from evil behavior; “do good: seek peace, and pursue it.” Simple enough to understand, far more difficult to execute consistently. “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” (Micah 6:8). HMM III

Adapted from Treasures in the Psalms, Henry M. Morris III, 350.