June 5, 2011

Psalm 119:33-40 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:
Luke 1:57-66, Ephesians 3:1-13, 1 Kings 7

Journal Entry

Scripture

Psalm 119:36-37 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain! Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

Observation

I see competing goals stated here: God's statues (testimonies) versus selfish gain and worthless things. The psalmist asks God to help him "incline (turn) my heart" and "turn my eyes." To quote, "There are matters of the heart that the mind knows nothing of." To be sure, one has to decide to turn his heart toward God and his eyes away from worthless things. But decision alone is not enough. How many times have I made up my mind to do something and have failed? The psalmist knows he needs help. Perhaps he can't do what he wants to do or stop doing what he wants to stop. He makes this prayer, asking for God's help to engage his heart and his desires. He brings to God his decision and his desire to follow through.

Application

I have heard pastors say that we can fall into the trap of coming to God to "lay our burdens down" in prayer but at the end of that prayer "pack up our burdens" and leave with it again. So how do I avoid reverting to where my heart is toward selfish gain and eyes toward worthless things? Afterall, there is a side of me that doesn't want to give up my sinful ways. It wages war inside me. That is precisely the ongoing problem! Thankfully there is an ongoing solution that the Bible teaches me. Earlier in Psalm 119 it says that I have to live according to God's word to stay on the path of purity (9). To prevent sin, I should hide God's word in my heart (11). The action I need to take to follow through with my decision and the desire to live a holy life is to read God's word daily, to meditate on it and to memorize it. It is like practicing or exercising. I can build up my spiritual strength to overcome my sinful desires. So I will recommit myself to reading God's word daily and to memorize his word weekly.

Prayer

Father, turn my heart toward your will and not toward my selfish ways. Turn my eyes away from tempting worthless things of this world. I am weak but you are strong. If I try to do it on my own, my own selfish desires are too strong. So I invite your spirit into my heart and ask that you continue to pour more of youf spirit into it. Thank you for showing me that it is through daily time with your word that will accomplish this. Sharpen my mind that I can memorize your word so that it will come alive in my life.

--jason kim