Weekly Meditation - The Path of Life
The Nature of Godly Living - Psalm 1
As we consider the nature of godly living, I want to call us to meditate on one question:
Do I delight in the Law of the LORD?
We’ve already covered some of the more practical questions and issues of meditating on God’s law. This questions is even more foundational, more vital. Do I DELIGHT, do I LOVE, do I TAKE PLEASURE in the commands of the LORD?
Notice that the emphasis isn’t on whether or not we outwardly do what God commands (obviously we should). But we can outwardly do the right thing while thinking the wrong thing or having a wrong attitude; what we might call begrudging obedience.
Jesus said that the greatest commandment was to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and that the second command was like it, to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus also says that these two commands: love for God and love for neighbor, sum up ALL the Law and the Prophets.
So then, to actually obey any of the law truly, one must love God and love their neighbor. How can I say that I love God if I begrudge His commands? How can I say I love my neighbor if I begrudgingly do good to them?
The law is not a cold-hearted list of “dos and don’ts” that God gives us to make us miserable. The law is good. Better than all the fine gold that one could ever acquire and sweeter than the honey comb. And to obey the Law truly means that we are acting in love towards God and towards our neighbor. To obey the law is to truly desire the glory of God and the good of our neighbor. And if we desire the glory of God and the good of our neighbor, then we are doing what we were made to do, and we are doing, though in a limited way, what God Himself is doing (Romans 8:28)!
So we return again to this question, and I ask you to take serious time meditating upon it.
DO I DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF THE LORD?
May the Lord bless and keep you!
Til’ the Lord brings His church to full maturity and unity in the faith, we labor together towards that end!