Briefing: Do you know or work with people who claim to be Christians? They use the title but don't live the life.

Dispatch (Assignment): Read Psalm 14.

On the Street: When reading this psalm it is easy to assume the first verse is talking about an atheist. David is actually speaking about people who inwardly deny the existence of God but outwardly proclaimed to be in His family. "The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is not one who does good." The "fool's" statement is in their heart, not speaking it out loud. These people saying this do not want to be recognized as unbelievers. I believe he was talking about people who put on a good front. They are pretending to be Christians when they don't actually believe God exists. Jesus called these people wolves in sheep's clothing.

In Matthew, Jesus was talking to His disciples. He was teaching them how to tell when they were in the presence of a false prophet. Jesus stated, "By their fruit you will recognize them." No matter how hard someone tries to act like a Christian, you will eventually be able to tell if they truly have a relationship with God by their actions. At the end of verse one, David will explain the fruit that is coming out of the lives of those he is talking about.

"The fool says in his heart, "There is no God." They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good." Experiencing this kind of person is difficult and dangerous. They can get your defenses down with their talk and then do great harm with their deeds.

I like the fact that as soon as David begins to point his finger he immediately recognizes that we are all sinners. He goes into verse 2 and 3 admitting, "The LORD looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt; there is not one who does good, not even one."

We must be careful when judging. The Bible does not say you should not judge, it tells us to judge rightly. Part of this judging is learning to discern the sheep from the wolves. Jesus says the wolves like to dress up like sheep to fool us. These are the kinds of people David is talking about.

Verse 4 says, "will evildoers never learn ? those who devour my people as men eat bread and who do not call on the LORD?" These people do not call on the LORD because they do not believe in Him. To call on the LORD is to trust in Him and give Him control of your life. Those who do this are blessed with His presence. God is with us to watch over and guide us. In the last half of verse 5 David tells us, "God is present in the company of the righteous."

Don't get caught up trying to look like or sound like a Christian. You cannot pretend your way into heaven. You cannot fool God. Realize that impressing the people around you does you no good. Live your life in such a way that God sees your heart and is pleased with you. We want and need God in our life. There is no better place to be than in the company of God's righteous people and in His presence.

Investigational Resources: Matthew 19:17 and Psalm 53.

Officer Safety Principle: Be true to who God has called you to be. If you are set apart and recognized as His child you will soon find others who live the same way.

from Psalms Through the Eyes of a Cop, Volume 1
©2018 by Charles Gilliland. Used by permission.
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