Psalm 97-98

“You who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the souls of His saints; He delivers them out of the hand of the wicked. Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.” (Psalm 97:10–12, NKJV)

There are certain essentials that we must have to survive spiritually.

First, we must love the LORD. Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind (Matthew 22:37). God wants us to love Him with an undivided heart. While this is simple to understand, it is difficult to do because of so many things that compete for our affection.

Second, we must hate evil. This is the fear of the LORD (Proverbs 8:13), and the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10). It is good to hate what God hates, and God hates evil.

If we will do these two things, then we can count on God preserving our souls and delivering us from the hand of the wicked. Yahweh will be our God, and we will be His people…forever. We can call on Him in the day of trouble, knowing that He will deliver us (Psalm 50:15).

We can also count on God to sow light into our lives. We need God to enlighten us so that we don’t grope in darkness. If we walk in the light, then we have fellowship with Him, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Finally, Jesus promises to give us fullness of joy.

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15:11, NKJV)

The joy that Christ give us is inexpressible (1 Peter 1:8). Nevertheless, we respond by rejoicing in Him always (Philippians 4:4) and giving Him thanks in every situation (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

These are the Christian essentials. Let us determine by the grace of Jesus Christ to practice them!