UNBROKEN PROMISES
Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope. Psalm 119:49
Sometimes, we don’t like to be reminded of the promises we’ve made. Usually the reminder comes because the person we promised perceives that we have forgotten. We are acting in a such a way that leaves them shaken about the strength of our word. Continue reading “UNBROKEN PROMISES”
A PROMISE MADE POSSIBLE
I will keep your law continually, forever and ever. Psalm 119:44
The psalmist’s words sound like a marriage vow; a pledge that is certainly a lofty goal but is it really possible to keep it and never fail? Does one love, honor, obey, and cherish their spouse every hour of the day? If truth be known, everyone at the altar takes a deep breath while making such vows, aware that it’s above them to be able to keep their promise. Continue reading “A PROMISE MADE POSSIBLE”
THE MORE YOU NEED, THE BETTER
Let your steadfast love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise. Psalm 119:41
It’s easy to love others when their lives are going well, when the needs are low. Let their needs rise and love is tested. To walk beside them during their toughest times takes steadfastness. You can absolutely spend yourself on their behalf on a given day, make a real difference, then go to bed that night and think, “Whew! Now they’re finally set.” But then the next day, the needs are just as great so you can spend it all again. It is exhausting and discouraging. That’s because we’re human. Continue reading “THE MORE YOU NEED, THE BETTER”
THE NATURE OF LONGING
Behold, I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life! Psalm 119:40
What creates longing? There is a void and I experience it in three ways.
A DANGEROUS PRAYER
Turn my eyes away from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways. Psalm 119:37
Do I really want the idols in my life exposed for what they are? Do I want their glitter removed?
I remember how eye-opening it was to sell our last house. While we lived there, the blessing of God was over our home. It felt like a haven of peace stepping into it. If there were cracks in the wall or peeling wallpaper, no one seemed to notice because of the pervasive sense of God’s presence. Once everything was packed up and rooms were empty, I felt like the spiritual veneer peeled off the walls. Continue reading “A DANGEROUS PRAYER”
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart. Psalm 119:34
“Why do you do what you do?” A legalist answers, “Because God said so.” He struggles with an explanation beyond that because there is little or no relationship with his Father. Without relationship, there is no revelation and no understanding. God wasn’t disconnected and dispassionate, deciding to give his children a handbook (the scriptures) full of rules, ordering them to keep them as best we could. Head obedience is a bankrupt way to live. It does nothing positive for the heart but, instead, leads it to a root of bitterness.
God promises understanding and wisdom for me if I’m His child. He personalizes each of His precepts and unveils their beauty and meaning as I walk in them. It is His love for me that makes me hunger for them. With each precept comes the promise of understanding. That comes through other scriptures which shed light on it and through the experience of obedience. Once understood and embraced as mine, God helps me keep them. “Keep” means to watch over and preserve something of value. How will I desire to preserve something if it is just a burdensome duty? I will feel no attachment to the ways of Jesus.
David knows that understanding (in the context of a loving relationship) leads to preserving the law when it’s belittled, passing down the law as a treasure to his children, and observing it with his life with his whole heart engaged.
I want that kind of understanding for the many kingdom choices that will intersect my life today. As I obey when it seems difficult and inconvenient, I bend my spirit toward Christ to know the supreme value of making choices that He would make. I want my heart engaged. Marking time with a disconnected heart is not an option so I echo David’s prayer. I long to walk with my hand in God’s; fully alive intellectually, fully alive emotionally, and fully discerning spiritually.
I guard your ways with my life. I live your ways with all my heart today. Amen
SOARING ON THE WINGS OF LOVE
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heart. Psalm 119:32
Plodding along, grinding out obedience to God is not any way to live. I did it for more than three decades. It’s exhausting and it’s hollow. One can sustain the pace for quite a while as long as life stays relatively trouble free. Let the trials come and things come crashing down pretty quickly. Continue reading “SOARING ON THE WINGS OF LOVE”
DELIBERATE CHOICES
I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I have set your rules before me. Psalm 119:30
Following Jesus must be a deliberate choice. Faithfulness to Him, to our love relationship, will not be possible unless I set His Word in front of me. I must keep my eyes set on the path, heart set on the Word. Just because I have His Spirit inside of me doesn’t mean that I don’t have to do my part. His Spirit deeply desires to influence my every decision but that won’t happen without some spiritual grit. Continue reading “DELIBERATE CHOICES”
AM I THE MASTER OF MYSELF?
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments. Psalm 119:21
David had been slandered by a king, betrayed by his friends, even scorned by his family. He had seen firsthand what happens to those who are so attached to the ways of their own heart that they choose that path over the ways of God. Continue reading “AM I THE MASTER OF MYSELF?”
