It was not long ago that I discovered through reading my bible how we can live good lives everyday. Through this article I hope to share some of what I have learned.

Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days,  keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

Psalm 34:11-14 

If there is one thing that well thinking human beings have in common and it is our desire to live good lives that are free from everyday challenges. We would love to exist in the perfect world but of course we know there is no such thing, right?

Even though there isn’t, there are ways given to us that allow us to live in the best possible way while we are here on this earth. Ways that are found in the good book (our bible). Today I would love to bring our attention to Psalm 34:11-14.

It reads – Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.

The over-arching lesson here is that we must have fear of the Lord to live good lives. We all accept the fact that God is sovereign through our faith in Him; because we cannot see him or touch him (and oh how I wish I could). Instead we must believe through faith and a knowing that we all have, that He is who He is and in him we have everything we need.

“This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.”

A part of Isaiah 66:1

Here, the Deity of God is demonstrated, that He is supreme.

He is the omnipotent (all-powerful, unlimited power), omniscient (all-knowing, there is nothing he does not know) and He is omnipresent (universal, present everywhere at the same time). Knowing all of this ought to keep us in check – don’t you think? And should explain why fearing Him must be a priority. It is not fearing Him in a way that makes us cower, but it is fearing Him in a way that allows us to be in awe and reverence. Always wanting that permanent connection with Him.

I don’t know about you but all of the above tells me that I am in good hands. And that he loves me so much (even with my sinfulness) that He is willing to forge a relationship with me through the sacrifice of His son, Jesus. Man, I don’t know what else to say. I think the picture is clear.

JUST FEAR GOD and all will be well.

Now that we have laid the ultimate foundation let’s talk about 3 more things that will allow us to live splendidly in all circumstances.

1 – Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.

Self explanatory? Live your life with integrity, be accountable for all you do.

2 – Turn from evil and do good.

Understand that it is okay if your life has not been entirely “above board”; you can change. God in His mercy gives us the opportunity to become better people and that is all He is saying here. We are not perfect and so the word “turn” suggests to me that we must continuously and intentionally choose to resist the things we know are not good and do the things that we know are good. Put yourself in the situation and ask IS THIS PROFITABLE?

3 – Seek peace and pursue it.

This is a “biggie” for some of us because there are a lot of things that stand between us and seeking peace and pursuing it. The number one thing I believe is pride; our ego. We must learn how to walk away no matter how hard it may be. A hard one, but one we must do. I assure you that in the first instance you choose to seek and pursue peace that you will experience a peace that is unmatched. And it gets better thereafter. “btw” My personal truth :-).

Living good lives is not something far-fetched but is what God wants for us. He did not have to deliver the Israelites from oppression but He did because He loved Israel and He cared. And so it is today, He wants to deliver you from the oppression that you face, but you must believe that it is possible. You must believe in His love for you. You must trust the process and deal with “manna” and everything that he gives you to sustain you. Do not complain, but go through the process and every lesson you must learn in order to become people who can and will live good lives.

Every experience must be valued and must be given a place of acceptance in your heart that will allow you to see clearly and appreciate the good life.

A lot of us are already living the good life but, our ways, our thoughts, our attitudes and values need attention. Surrender these inadequacies to God today and allow yourself to begin to see exactly what you have had all this time.

Once again:

Are you a believer? If not, why not? Giving your life to Christ is also the beginning of a good life. How about repeating this prayer and welcoming Christ into you heart.