Each Step I Take
Psalm 27:1 (KJV) - The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I
fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Have you ever longed to get somewhere but seemed to be stuck in a rut
and just going in circles? The more your desire to arrive at the
destination grows, the more frustrated you become when you can’t seem to
get past the obstacles that block your way. I have often told people
that they can’t graduate unless they pass every grade. When we fail the
first grade we have to retake the lesson and try to pass again. There
is a progression to everything in life. Seeds turn into sprouts,
sprouts turn into healthy plants, plants produce the harvest, the
harvest returns to the seed take out one of those steps and the garden
won’t grow.
The Christian life is no exception. The Psalmist
alludes to this forward progress in our verse. The Lord is first my
light, then my salvation, then my strength. You may be familiar with
Psalm 119:105, “The word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path.” But verse 104 gives us a greater insight into this important
first step, “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate
every false way.” It is God’s Word that illuminates the darkness of
sin in our lives. Without seeing that sin for the destructive cancer
that it is we can never truly be repentant. Paul tells us in 2
Corinthians 7:9, “now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that
you sorrowed to repentance: for you were made sorry after a godly
manner, that you might receive damage by us in nothing. For godly
sorrow works repentance to salvation…” I am so thankful that when Jesus
stepped into the room where I had hidden my sin His light illuminated
the darkness and there was no hiding from His holiness. He did not
bring condemnation but He brought conviction of sin and the sorrow that I
felt was not of this world, shallow and quickly forgotten, but it was
deep and abiding. I realized that it was my sin that had nailed Jesus
to the cross and like the Psalmist “I hated every false way.” There is
no salvation without godly repentance.
But God doesn’t leave us
in our despair. His light not only reveals our sin but He reveals the
cross, the cross where Jesus died for our sin. The debt of sin that I
could not pay was paid in full as Jesus drank the bitter cup and
satisfied the wrath of God. Salvation belongs to Christ and grace opens
the door so that I might enter in to the holy presence of God. It is
here that we can say with Paul, “God forbid that I should glory, save in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto
me, and I unto the world.” (Galatians 6:14)
He is my light, my
salvation, and my strength! So many want to walk in the power of God
and live in the Spirit without experiencing the light and salvation. We
must walk step by step and know that God is faithful to keep us.
Preaching the power without the cross is empty. Preaching the cross
without the knowledge of sin is meaningless for the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us to Christ. The grace of God allows us to walk
in His power and to know His victory over sin and death. But to fully
embrace God’s love and grace we must fully embrace the destitute nature
of sin and flesh that robs us of the glory of God. There is a path to
victory. It is clear and when followed step by step all who come may
enter. Is Christ your light, and salvation, and strength? If He is
then you have nothing to fear, victory has already been won.
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