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Today I was reading through Psalm 19. My current sermon series is based on the Ten Commandments and because of that my mind was perked up by what Psalm 19 has to say.
Because Jesus came to fulfill the law and Paul teaches us that the Law unto itself never accomplished what it was meant to, we have a tendency to brush it aside for a more comfortable exchange between ourselves and God through the veil of grace.
Before we get too Old Testament averse, take note of what the Psalmist says about the benefits of the law and commands of God. Indeed they:
• Restore the soul
• Make the simple wise
• Enlighten the eyes
• Bring joy to our heart
• Offer great reward
I’m raising my hand for all of the above! Remember God’s laws were never meant to keep us from fun, but rather keep us from pain. God’s boundaries are timeless. His commands pave the way for blessing.
When we give up to God and stop fighting against His boundaries we then find those same boundaries surround a place of green pastures and wide open spaces of blessing. We find this is the place God intended us to live all along.
Why does the Psalmist assert that our soul is restored, we gain wisdom, we see life better, our hearts overflow with health and joy when we raise high God’s standards? First, it was God’s word that formed our very existence and it is His word that sustains us. When we embrace God’s words it is refreshing for a soul, a soul that is awash in the distractions of what Adam and Eve struggled with–the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life. These “freedoms,” Satan himself peddled, lead to everything but freedom and they tax our soul with weighty costs.
So, the next time we feel constrained by the Law of The Lord, or the word of God we must remind ourselves that what we see in the flesh as constraint, God has set in motion for our blessing and reward.
Father, today I embrace what the stressed, frantic, unfulfilled world says is old fashion–Your commands. I want to be led into green pastures and beside quiet waters that will restore and refresh my soul. Father speak your word and your command. As I obey I know I will release the reward of Psalm 19.
Amen.
P.S. Is God asking something of you, or commanding you toward something that you have been resisting? It’s time to surrender and discover that place of restoration. It may not be easy, but the result will be reward.