Joy, Where Art Thou?

Psalms 119:1-8

Joyful are people of integrity,
who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Joyful are those who obey his laws
and search for him with all their hearts.
They do not compromise with evil,
and they walk only in his paths.
You have charged us
to keep your commandments carefully.
Oh, that my actions would consistently
reflect your decrees!
Then I will not be ashamed
when I compare my life with your commands.
As I learn your righteous regulations,
I will thank you by living as I should!
I will obey your decrees.
Please don’t give up on me!

Over the past months, I believe God has been working on my heart.  Just a cursory look through my journal would show that work has focused on the truth of His love for me.  So many books, movies, podcasts have focused on that need in my life.  The changes have been gradual, but significant.  As I have stated before, both in my journal and in other forums, if we really knew how much God loves us, it would change everything.  I do mean EVERYTHING!  It would vastly change our relationship with Him.  It would change our relationships with each other.  It would change our daily activities, what we focus on and think about, what we concern ourselves with.  So, there is no minimizing the impact of really knowing God's love.  

In the verses above, I notice another facet.  Our joy is also dependent on our integrity and following God's laws.   This is because God's laws are not arbitrary sanctions of a power hungry despot.  They are principles of natural truths that reflect how to live in the way that God designed us and our world.  "Don't jump off of a 100 foot cliff" is not an arbitrary rule.  It is a protective warning about how to engage the natural law of gravity.  If you don't follow it, you could be harmed or die.  God's laws are like that.  Some are rules to protect us.  Some are rules to protect our relationship with Him and with others.  Some are simply soul, spirit and body maintenance schedules laid out by our designer, the one who know best what needs to happen to keep our lives running smoothly and on all cylinders.  That is why following God's laws bring us joy.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ringing the Bell at the Brothel

"The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God." from The World, The Flesh, and Father Smith by Bruce Marshall I love the quote above! I heard it recently when listening to a Podcast by John Eldredge. As I have discussed before on this blog, men often take their search for affirmation, intimacy, and validation to the woman. It is God's intention that we approach the woman with our strength, to protect and to lead our families. Instead, all too often, we approach the woman in search of our strength. But, she cannot, nor was she intended to, provide that. She is not God! But, we keep searching, thinking the problem is with the woman that we have chosen, not our expectations. Indeed, her beauty is the pinnacle of God's creation. But her beauty is not the destination. Instead, that beauty is intended to be an arrow, pointing us straight to the heart of the Creator.
Read more

Tiger Woods is Looking For God

A few months back, I wrote a blog about a quote that I had read. See the details here , but the quote was "The young man who rings the bell at the brothel is unconsciously looking for God." Here is why... God is a God of beauty! He is continually wooing us to Himself with the beauty that is all around us. I have written about how this recognition of beauty and its impact is unique to mankind. I am sure that all of you have experienced this when you have gazed at the mountains, the ocean, a star-filled sky, the clouds of a gathering thunderstorm, etc. This feeling is the wooing that I spoke of above. Men, you know that the beauty of a woman has a similar, yet more intense, impact. That is because Woman is God's crowning achievement. This is what Solomon was saying in the Song of Solomon. Woman is beauty personified. Her beauty and all of God's creation are intended to stir a longing in our hearts. A longing for our creator. But, that intention and plan took a
Read more

Dying to Self

After all of these years, I have pretty much decided that my greatest enemy is not Satan. It is me! More specifically it is my selfishness. It's my tendency for my motivation to do anything to be "What can I get out of this?" or "How can I manipulate people, circumstances, etc. to get things to turn out the way I want them?" I don't think these things consciously! It is just obvious when I really evaluate my behaviors and feelings. The irony of it all is that this approach causes me great pain and is very tiring. It is hard work to always be trying to manipulate your surroundings. It is no fun for those who love me either. Many years ago, I worked for a pastor named Bill Britton. He was an author and evangelist. One of the articles that he wrote follows. In the end, it is obvious to me that I am NOT dead yet. Dying to Self Bill Britton When you are forgotten or neglected or purposely set at naught, and you don’t sting and hurt with the ins
Read more