Psalm 9
1I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart; I will recount all Your wonders. 2I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High. 3When my enemies retreat, they stumble and perish before You. 4For You have upheld my just cause; You sit on Your throne judging righteously. 5You have rebuked the nations; You have destroyed the wicked; You have erased their name forever and ever. 6The enemy has come to eternal ruin, and You have uprooted their cities; the very memory of them has vanished. 7But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment. 8He judges the world with justice; He governs the people with equity. 9The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You. 11Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; proclaim His deeds among the nations. 12For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted. 13Be merciful to me, O LORD; see how my enemies afflict me! Lift me up from the gates of death, 14that I may declare all Your praises— that within the gates of Daughter Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation. 15The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. 16The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah 17The wicked will return to Sheol— all the nations who forget God. 18For the needy will not always be forgotten; nor the hope of the oppressed forever dashed. 19Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence. 20Lay terror upon them, O LORD; let the nations know they are but men. Selah
Life is short. Where are you going?
You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?
The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?
Are you a good person?
Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):
- You shall have no other gods before Me.
- You shall not make for yourself an idol.
- You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Honor your father and mother.
- You shall not murder.
- You shall not commit adultery.
- You shall not steal.
- You shall not bear false witness.
- You shall not covet.
Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).
If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).
That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.
But God made a way
“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).
It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10
What will you do with Jesus?
“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).
And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).
If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.