By Pastor W. F. Kumuyi

If there was one man in the Bible who was always conscious of God’s goodness and favours in his life, it was King David, and he never failed to praise God for this. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Like him, we should always express our gratitude to God Who grants us forgiveness and freedom from our sins, heals our sicknesses, preserves and satisfies us with the good things of life.

We should serve the Lord with gladness and come before His presence with singing; for “the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” God is our Creator, Maker, Deliverer, Sustainer, Provider and gracious Benefactor, the Saviour who has set us free from the bondage, domination and control of sin and the Devil. Being an impartial and gracious God, He does not discriminate against His children who are truly saved by grace.

“I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.” Converted believers embrace and uphold the truth at all times. They manifest godly character and consecration as true believers.

The Psalmist recalls the mercy of the Lord, which brought him out of the wilderness of sin into the wonder of His salvation. Therefore, he said, “I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.” As believers, we should always recollect God’s “abundant mercy [which] hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.”

As a beneficiary of God’s mercy, the psalmist resolved to sing of God’s praises. His confession, “My heart is fixed, O God… I will sing and give praise,” reveals his determination, diligence and commitment. Although many believers promise to praise and worship God in any situation, they forget their avowed commitment and dedication to Him when challenges arise, or for some, when there is no storm in sight. Regardless of our circumstances, the Lord wants us to be firm in our consecration and service to Him. Such is the character of a transformed believer.

Just as waste papers are converted into something useful, a worthless and godless life is transformed through salvation. The character of a transformed believer is not only evident in the presence of other believers; it abides wherever he goes. If we are truly transformed, we will “behave [ourselves] wisely in a perfect way… [and] walk… with a perfect heart” anywhere we find ourselves. We will hate whatever Christ hates such as sin, compromise, corruption and the evil people do in the secret. We will not identify with the wicked and we will sever relationship with those who trade in gossip.

As believers, we need trustable companions around us. Although Jesus Christ is our faithful Friend, we must have other faithful friends around us who will support our vision, ideals and goals in life. They should be friends who are willing to contribute to our lives, make us happy, prosperous and progressive.

However, we need wisdom to make friends who will help and not hurt us; lift and not bring us down; exalt Christ in our lives and not destroy our conviction. While we expect to have perfect, good and gracious friends, we too must endeavour to be perfect, good and gracious. By so doing, we can boldly say, like the psalmist, “I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts.”

• Further Reading (KJV): Psalms 100:1-5; 103:1-5; 105:37; 101:2,3; 101:1; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3; Psalms 57:7; 108:1; 112:7; 101:2-5; 101:6; 119:60,63.