Psalm 119:137-144 (NIV)
Righteous are you, O LORD,
and your laws are right.
Righteous are you, O LORD,
and your laws are right.
The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
they are fully trustworthy.
My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.
Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.
Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands are my delight.
Your statutes are forever right;
give me understanding that I may live.
So...what if I decided that gravity didn't apply to me today?
It seems like a neat idea and all, but maybe I'm just tired of it...or maybe it cramps my style.
After all, I'd much prefer flying...or at least levitation...over plain old walking around. What about you?
We know, and generally accept, that gravity is more than an idea. It's a law of nature.
It applies to everybody and everything. It just is. Whether we decide to abide by it doesn't change its reality in the least.
What if God's laws work in the same way? What if there were tested precepts and realities about the world in which we live that we choose to ignore at our own peril?
It takes a certain amount of humility to accept and follow someone else's rules...even when that someone is God. We children often need to break the rule to understand them, don't we?
Here's what I know...nothing I've ever prayed about has gone worse because of it. It's always gone better, without fail.
Worrying has never added a single minute to my life. Love of God and neighbor really is the best way to live. Those ten commandments are more than ten suggestions...because we need them and they're the foundation of a life lived in accordance with God's law.
But most of all, scripture's idea of a changed, redeemed and transformed life in Christ holds true. We are created in the image of God, and though that image is badly blurred within us, it can be restored through faith in the one who seeks and saves the lost.
Curious about those laws? Maybe that curiosity can be the start of real wisdom. It's all in the book...and that's why we're on this daily path of life together.
Prayer: We know deep down that whatever righteousness we have always comes from you, and not from us. We listen to the words of this psalm and pray that your goodness might live within us more fully.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
2 comments:
God's laws are something else, too. Not meaning to say that they are something in addition to what you have said, but something special and different.
When we typically think of laws and law breaking, we think of tickets, fines, community service, jail time...all sorts of punishments. But our God is a God of forgiveness. While He doesnt spare the rod of discipline, He also doesnt condemn.
Ha! I just had the cheesiest analogy pop into my head...but maybe it works:
Its like everytime we break one of God's laws and we are taken to court where God is the judge. But Jesus is our lawyer and jury, he always calls himself as a witness. And with HIS testimony, we never lose.
It may be a stretch, but, then again, maybe it works after all.
Nice analogy Mike...I like it.
I know a lot of the time we take God's laws and we say oh this one we will use but that one doesn't apply to us. I know I have that mindset sometimes. Not purposely but the actions I act show that.
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