“Worthless are the false gods of the land. Accursed are all who delight in them, they multiply their sorrows who court other gods.” Psalm 16:3-4 NABRE
In the time of David, there were people who openly worshiped other gods, gods of water, gods of rain, gods of land, etc. They found a god for everything. There are still places today that have this kind of worship, but we can also attribute “other gods” to be other things we put in front of the Lord. What is it in our lives that fill our hearts and minds? If the answer is not God, we have some reassessing to do. Things of the world, sports, cars, property, making money, getting in shape, food, entertainment, worldly desires, pride of life. In itself, these things are not sinful. But when we focus more on obtaining them than we do on growing closer to God, they can lead to sin. If we let these things become our focus, and use them as excuses for not looking for God, or allow them to hinder our spiritual growth, where they become desires of the flesh, then that is a sin. Nothing should come before God. Not a thing on this world or a person should stop us from seeking God.
“I keep the Lord always before me; with the Lord at my right, I shall never be shaken.” Psalm 16:8
We are not perfect. We will fall. But we should always continue to try harder and continue to push ourselves to put God before us. When we fall, if we see the err of our ways and ask forgiveness, God will forgive us. He loves us. He wants us to delight in him, he wants us to pursue him. When we do, we will be stronger. We will be able to stand up against the things of this world, things in our lives, that will try to shake us. Our heart can be glad and our soul can rejoice (Psalm 16:9) if we trust in God and allow him to be the focus of our lives. We will find that the things that used to set us off will become a “little thing,” that is no more than a pinch. We won’t crumble when things don’t go our way. We will rise each morning, put on our armor and stand strong against whatever life throws our way. This life isn’t our endgame. This is a pit-stop before our eternity with God. So we need to make our life count, following God’s commands for us while we are here. Let him lead the way. Rejoice in the Lord. Remember to light your candle. Peace be with you.
No comments:
Post a Comment