“Though I constantly
take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law. The wicked have set a snare for me, but I
have not strayed from your precepts.
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my
heart. My heart is set on keeping your
decrees to the very end” Psalm 119:109-112.
I was blessed this morning to better understand what the
first sentence of our passage means.
Taking our life in our hands means publicly
honoring God’s law even in the face of threats and hostility (NIV Study
Bible, p. 928). How does this look in
our everyday life? It means that when
someone sets a trap of their own perception of you, you do not step into that
trap of thinking. You choose to publicly
believe in who God says you are…valued…chosen
…important…purposeful. It is so
tempting to stray over to man’s popular belief and take on the insecurity of
who he says we are. We must respond in
the Spirit, God’s precepts, instead of responding out of our flesh. A precept is a direction dictating a way we
should act or behave. We must remember
who God says we are when man infers we are something else, behaving with belief
and confidence.
Biblical statutes reveal God's thinking and reflect His
priorities. It
is no wonder that our psalmist reminds us that only through publicly honoring
God’s direction, and pursuing His thinking and priorities will we find joy in
our hearts. This joy comes only when our
hearts are set on keeping God’s commands for our lives. This joy paves the way for peace, confidence
and security that surpasses anything on this earth. ‘Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them
stumble…I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly. I obey your precepts and your statutes, for
all my ways are known to you’ Psalm 119:165-168.
We all know what
makes us stumble and fall into the traps of man. For some it is acceptance and approval while
others stumble by believing their worth is limited. God knows everything that is in our hearts…our desires…our strengths…our weaknesses…our
worth. By seeking the mind and
priorities of God we can be sure that we are living the heritage God
intended. ‘Our heritage is the possession we have received from God and from which
we draw all provisions for our lives’ NIV Study Bible, 928.
Our help (provisions) comes from the LORD, the Maker
of heaven and earth. He will not let our
feet stumble or slip – He watches (protects)
over us day and night – He will keep us from harm and keep watch over every
part of our life. Finally, He faithfully
watches our coming and going now and forever. (Taken from Psalm 121)
No comments:
Post a Comment