Daily Devotionals
Daily Devotional: Psalms 119:41-48
Ps 119:41-48 Waw
May your unfailing love come to me, O Lord, your salvation according to your promise; then I will answer the one who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, for ever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees.
Matt 5:48-6:1
Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. "Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
David’s love for the Law of God was not based on the beauty of the words, or how good it made him feel about himself. His love for the precepts of the Lord were based on his love for the Lord and his deep respect for him and his faith in him as God. David understood that God always wanted what was best for him and when he followed his commands, it was for his own good. He totally trusted the Lord.
When we view the word of the Lord as a set of rules or just a book of commands, it will lead us to frustration or to an attitude of self-righteousness. If all we see in it is the beauty of the words, we will feel good but never become like him. The value in knowing the Law of the Lord comes to us when we apply it to our lives, and we imitate Jesus. In doing this, we will lead others to him and glorify God.
God’s word is truth because God is truth. Jesus proclaimed himself to be truth from God, truth personified. Because of his nature, it is impossible for God to lie. There are no mistakes in his revelation. We may not understand it all, or we may not always be able to harmonize it, but the problem is us, it is not him or his word.
This unwavering truth is just one more reason we can put our faith in Jesus and our trust in his word. But knowledge can cause us to become proud and lead us to being self-righteous. Another mistake is when we make our understanding of his word, the standard for everyone else. It must be my standard and I must be true to my conscience, but it is wrong for me to think my understanding is infallible.
O Lord, give me wisdom to understand your word. Give me conviction to live it faithfully. Give me faith to trust you in all things, even when I cannot understand how or why. Help me never elevate my understanding, my logic, or my thinking, to being equal with your word. Keep me from being judgmental toward others when I disagree with them and their conclusions. Use me to lead others to Jesus and to encourage others to be faithful to you. I pray in the name of Jesus.
Robert
