Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 119:121-128
Psalms 119:121-128
Ayin
121 I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors. 122 Ensure your servant's well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me. 123 My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise. 124 Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees. 125 I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes. 126 It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken. 127 Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold, 128 and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
Jesus taught that we are to love the Lord God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind, saying this was the first and greatest commandment given in the Law of Moses. He also taught that we are to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. The Psalmist understood these principles long before Jesus came to the earth. He loved the commands of God more than gold. Doing what was right was more important to him than making money.
Paul said that the love of money was the root of all kinds of evil. As we read the various lists of sins throughout the New Testament, it is interesting that greed is found in almost all of them. John says we are not to love the world or the things of this world because they will all pass away. Rather we are to lay up treasures in heaven where there will be no moths or rust to destroy our wealth.
We lay up treasures in heaven when we practice the law of God. When we keep his commands as sacred we are building true wealth. When we let the will of God become our motivation and guide in all we do, our eternal treasures are being made secure. But it is not just keeping the law in some legal sense that really matters. It is having the mind of Christ in us so that we become more like him every day and in every way.
When God is first in our lives we will see the needs of others and respond to help them. We will seek to share the word of God in the way we live and not just in the things we say. Since we still live in this world, we will have to make a living and we will have fun in many ways but God will be first in all things.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the material things I enjoy. Thank you for the many friends, family and fellow Christians who fill my life in so many ways. Thank you for the wonderful country in which I live and the many freedoms we enjoy in so many ways. Keep me mindful that all of this is from you. Help me keep my eyes on Jesus and the things above rather than the passing things of this life. Give me wisdom and strength to practice what I preach so I can show others how to live for you. Please help those who are sick and hurting. I pray in Jesus’ name.
--Robert
