Have you ever understood and appreciated how many times the Lord in His great mercy has saved you from falling into some open (or secret) sin that would have ruined you? For example, take Proverbs 22:14: "The mouth of an immoral woman is a deep pit; he who is abhorred of the Lord will fall there."

 If the Lord has held you by the hand and preserved you from that "fall," you can sing the Hallelujah chorus a thousand times. (Someone might be reading this who actually fell into the "pit," and he or she feels bad; well, remember that if the Lord "abhors you" He still loves you; what He "abhors" is not you personally, but that kind of behavior; there is hope for you.)
 If in spite of your love for money you have been enabled to remain upright in the face of temptation. Again, you can be profoundly thankful to Him; it's not your "righteousness" that has preserved you, it's His.

Maybe you have wondered how holy beings can sing over and over their praises to the Lord; that's one reason--He has saved them from ruining their lives.
 Isaiah comments about His special care for you, personally and individually: "'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.'" (He hasn't promised that no voice will ever be raised against you--all He promises is that you will "condemn" that accusation and He will defend you from it. "'This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,' says the Lord" (Isa. 54:17).

The Lord is so good to us, because of His much more abounding grace, that we can make progress all our lives; gaining such victories, we can grow day by day "like a tree." The time will come when we will find it is actually "easy" to say "No!" to temptation. Then Titus 2:11-14 (see NIV) will be fulfilled to us and we shall rejoice in it forevermore.

Robert J. Wieland