Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Day 7 - Week 12 - Psalm 119:11, "I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You."

Our last night on this sweet verse that we can easily bind to our hearts. Hold it tight and let it become your companion. 

I'm thinking tonight about our earthly lives and how fast they go by...maybe it's that melancholy feeling you have when your baby girl comes to spend time with you as a 31 year-old wonderful young lady.   You realize how fast the time has gone by, and how in another 31 years you will be 86, and you know the next 31 years will go at least twice as fast as the past 31, so in a sense you'll be 86 in 15 years...but probably more like 10.  Time is a funny thing, isn't it? 

So, again, I'm musing on these somewhat melancholy thoughts and then come back around to our verse and ask, "is there a connection?"  Yes...I think there is.  For when we complete these earthly lives of ours...no matter the length...the real thing that will matter is how well we have treasured God's words in our hearts, and how well we have allowed them to direct our lives into paths of God's leading, rather than into the paths of our self-direction, paths of sinfulness, paths of regret. 

When we avoid sin, we opt for God's ways.  What do we know about God's ways?

Genesis 50:20, "You planned to harm me. But God planned it for good. He planned to do what is now being done. He wanted to save many lives."
 
Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
 
Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will."
 
No matter what we think, no matter what the world tells us, we need to affirm in our mind that God's ways are good ways...that His plans are the best plans...that living lives in opposition of sinfulness leads to lives of peace and security...
 
Isaiah 26:3, "You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."
 
We should never feel deprived when asked to turn from sin...we should feel blessed and confident of future blessing.  Living lives that glorify God bring honor to Him, and He in turn honors His children who do so. 
 
We have already learned that sin's ultimate product is death, while God's gift is life! 
 
We've been given His treasured word to hide in our hearts to help us avoid the pitfalls of sin...let's treasure it, let's hide it in our hearts, and let's live victoriously!

1 comment:

donna said...

When God's Word is hidden in our hearts, then sin will not be able to find an empty heart for the taking. With God's Word planted in our minds, we live free. There will be sin but we can lean on God's saving Grace to protect us.