Life....

Life… We have a heartbeat, we breathe, we move around…and we call it life.

We say ‘live it up!’ and do all sorts of things thinking that’s what we are doing….living it up. Yet the search is never ending. Where does it end….

I continue my study of Psalm 119 and identify with David’s words in verse 82. “My eyes grow tired looking for what you have promised”

I know what that feels like. Searching for that contentment, fulfillment, pleasure, purpose…call it what you like. It is endless....

Doing the do’s and not doing the don’ts. It is exhausting…

David also has the key in this section of his psalm.

“According to Your steadfast love give life to me; then I will keep the testimony of Your mouth” (Ps. 119:88 AMP)

Without being granted spiritual life from our Creator, we have a heartbeat, we breathe, we move around….and we wear ourselves out in efforts to find what He offers to provide.

Without the life that He in His steadfast love gives, we will never know how shallow and empty our so-called lives are. And we will never ever be able to line our lives up with a holy God and His Word.

Thank you that You have given life to me. Thank you Father for the power of Your Spirit, that enables me to follow You. “All your commands are trustworthy..”(vs.86) I want to simply believe what You say, and accept the help that you provide to me thru Your Spirit.

Addiction....

Addiction… It is rampant in our culture. Think you are immune?

You don’t have to have a drug problem to be an addict. It doesn’t have to be alcohol…or cigarettes, although those are some common ones.

I am addicted to caffeine. I like coffee, tea, cola, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate, and chocolate.

While I don’t share the addiction to television, I fear I am addicted to my computer and cell phone.

I don’t have any addiction to drugs, neither prescription ones or illegal ones. I don’t frequent porn sites, and I am not a gambler.

The reason I can say most of that however, is not because of some special thing about myself. I have just stayed clear of those things, choosing instead not to take the chance on having a problem or becoming an addict.

I have seen addiction. I have seen its destruction. I have heard the justifications for them, the excuses, the blame-laying. But addictions aren’t anyone else’s fault. The circumstances may not be our personal choice, but our response to the situation is.

An addiction can be anything. When we desire a thing so much that we will do anything necessary to get it…that is an addiction.

And an addiction is idolatry. The addiction has become god.

“Do not run after other gods until your sandals are worn out and your throat is dry. But you said, 'It's no use! I love those gods. I must go after them.” (Jer. 2:25)


We go after all kinds of things. Compromising all kinds of things. Then all those things end up bringing us harm. The very things we have pursued and sacrificed our character and principles for become the opposite of what we were seeking. Instead of blessing us, they becomes a curse.

“….when you are in trouble, you say, "Come and save us!' So where are the gods you made for yourselves? Let them come when you are in trouble!” (Jer. 2:17,18)

When the curse comes down on our head, we have no choice but to see the truth. The addictions in our lives bring nothing but trouble and heartache.

Praise God that His desire to restore us never changes.

"Return to me. I will heal you.”(Jer. 3:22)

Hallelujah.

Understand...

Understand… Do you? Can you? How…..??

In reflecting on the next section of Psalm 119 I keep coming back to this one phrase from verse 73. “..give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments.”

How is it that we come to ‘understand’? I can think of only these two ways…

Logic.

Experience.

When God issues a command, sometimes I fully understand why.

He says ‘don’t murder’ and I understand that if I murder, I have overstepped my own choices and enforced my will over another person, I am choosing FOR them…. to die, even if they choose to live.

That is wrong. It is not my choice. And wrong on many other levels.

God has said lots of ‘do’s and ‘do not’s that I understand with the logic that He has created in us.

Other things He has said, I have come to understand the same way Eve did. I found out for myself. Experience is a good teacher. I could list hundreds of lessons I’ve learned the hard way.

From all those hard lessons, I want most to learn and remember one thing… When God says something, there is a very good reason for it. I don’t have to understand it with my logic. I don’t have to experience it to know for sure. I can just take Him at His Word.

The Message puts that phrase very well. “… breathe Your wisdom over me so I can understand You”

He has done that for me time and time again. Given me His wisdom. “I can see now, GOD, that your decisions are right.” (vs.75)

He is right every single time about every single thing.

Logic or no logic.

Experience or no experience.

Lord, Help me not to choose to experience. Especially those things that Your directions intend for me to avoid. Help me to learn from Eve’s mistake and not to make the same ones. I want to simply trust, simply obey. Forgive me for depending on my own logic. It is so flawed.

“May my heart be without blame as I follow your orders. Then I won't be put to shame.”(vs.80)

Before...

Before… I was thinner, before. I had less wrinkles, before. I had more years ahead of me, before. Before today, I was younger….

On this day of my birth 56 years ago, I come to the section of verses 65-72 in my study of Psalm 119 . This passage speaks so much to me personally today, both in encouragement, and in reprimand. Some much too personal to share in an open forum….


I pray with David this morning, “LORD, be good to me as you have promised.
Increase my knowledge and give me good sense, because I believe in your commands…”

Good sense…. Notice how that phrase is followed with ‘because’and connected to more of the sentence? Where does good sense come from? Certainly not years…not necessarily !

One of the phrases you may hear me say is ‘young and ignorant’. The younger we are, the less life experiences we have, therefore…ignorance. You just can NOT know what you do not know.

Each year that passes, I again reflect on how ignorant I am….recognizing again just how little I know and understand.

God HAS blessed me with knowledge and understanding, for I know and understand so much more than I did at one time.

Yet as I grow older I am faced with the reality of how powerless we really are, how utterly helpless to control any single thing except our OWN choices. And those are difficult…


I believe the wisdom that age brings is this very thing…being wise enough to know how ignorant you really are.

I have many flaws, many wrong thoughts, many wrong motive. I have made many wrong choices. I have caused suffering, and I have suffered.

I regret causing pain. And while I do not like pain, the suffering I have personally experienced has brought me much good. “Before I went through suffering, I went down the wrong path. But now I obey your word…….It was good for me to suffer. That's what helped me to understand your orders. ” (vs.67,71)

How thankful I am for His forgiveness, and that He doesn’t leave me to my own resources.

Father, help me to follow Your way with every part of me….nothing held back, never in my own effort, but always and only depending on You to orchestrate my life. Help me trust You more completely.

Lifestyle...

Lifestyle… I recall they made a television show about the lifestyles of the ‘rich and famous’….

I’m not rich and famous, so I don’t have a lifestyle like was portrayed on that show. Our house is fairly small and quite plain. But it is ours. We don’t have those fancy cars, but ours are dependable and comfortable.

Then again, what is the measuring stick for fancy? Pricetag? Seems in our culture, we measure most everything by it’s price tag…

I am not famous, then again, I am important to the God of the universe, so important that He came down to rescue me.

I am not rich, then again, I have never known hunger, never been without clothing, never without a home and safe transportation.

Maybe I am rich and famous after all….



This morning, as I continue to reflect on Psalm 119, I am drawn to verse 59.

“I have thought about the way I live……”

It is a good thing to honestly reflect on the way we live.

Honestly….oh boy, that’s the kicker. It is not easy to be honest with ourselves, it is tempting and so easy to rationalize our wrong attitudes and decisions.

After all, our own heart will trick us….scripture warns that it is deceitful. (Jer.17:9) (…so ‘following your heart’ isn’t such a good idea always!)

How do I live?

Do I put others needs before my own? Whose rules of engagement do I follow? Do I make up the rules to suit myself, making them up as I go, to benefit me?

Who/what determines how I use the money I have? Do I spend my money to bless others or only myself? Do I use my money to manipulate? Do I put my own price tags on? Do I use my money in effort to pay off my other bad behavior?


“….I have decided to follow your covenant laws.” (Ps.119:59b)

Lord God help me to let You be the boss today. YOU be the Commander in chief, YOU be the decision maker, and help me to bend my stubborn prideful will to Yours. Your way is always right and best. I have learned that so painfully, and forget it so easily….

Horrified...

Horrified…. I was warned that I would be. I was…

Yesterday I made it my business to find out what all the hoopla is about a certain reality show. I don’t watch much television programming, especially the craze of reality shows, I already have enough reality to suit me thank- you-very-much. Besides, it should really be called exaggerated reality. Surely people don’t really live and act like that….

Or do they?

I am far from perfect. So very far.. But God help me to never accept the flaws, help me to continue to be a better person, more like You. Especially help me to never embrace the flaws, never allow me to celebrate the imperfections….allow me no joy in that.

As I continue to reflect on Psalm 119, verse 53 from the next section stood spoke to me in my horrified state…. “Horror hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law.”

What little I saw was offensive to me, but that’s not the deal.

The deal is that so many people live an absolute Godless life. They revel in it. And have no idea how miserable they really are…

It reminds me of the years I suffered before having surgery to remove diseased female organs. I had absolutely no idea how sick I was, how awful I felt all the time, because it was my normal. I didn’t know anything else…ever. When it was removed and I began to get healthier, I was horrified that I suffered so much for so long. (Thank You God for hysterectomies!)

People without God have no idea how sick they are. And tragically, the symptoms of sin sickness lead to an eternal death.

People are without God simply because they choose to not know Him. And He is the most amazing, awesome Person….

He knows every thing…has every thing…can do every thing…

Why are there so many people who are not the least bit interested?


“….. people have turned away from your law. No matter where I live, I sing about your orders. LORD, during the night I remember who you are. That's why I keep your law.
I have really done my best to obey your rules.” (Psalm 119:53-56NIrV)



I want always to remember Who You are. Help me that no matter where I am I will remember Your Presence with me. You see and hear every thought, every word, every act. And You want only the best for me. Always and only the very best….

Then....

Then…. Webster says, ‘next in order of time’ . Reading that definition, I think of that cliché’ ‘First things first’..…

So often we get last things first.

Reflecting on verses 41-48 of Psalm 119, I am impressed with the order that should be in place in our lives. Knowing and understanding the love of God is paramount. THAT is the first thing….and sadly, I think there are a whole lot of people who don’t have a clue about the love of our Creator.

God’s love, His promises, the salvation He provides, then the ‘then’….

“May your unfailing love come to me, LORD, your salvation, according to your promise;
then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. (Psalm 119:41-42)

I am convinced that once we are secure in the love of God, trusting completely that what He says is always and only good and best, our will changes, our ‘want-to’ changes…

It makes absolutely no sense in the world’s way of thinking, but the free-est freedom we can experience is obedience to God.

Again I pray with David…I pray that I put first things first. Always…


“Let your love, GOD, shape my life with salvation, exactly as you promised;
THEN, I'll be able to stand up to mockery because I trusted your Word….your commandments are what I depend on.

I'll guard with my life what you've revealed to me…And I'll stride freely through wide open spaces as I look for your truth and your wisdom; Then I'll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.

I cherish your commandments--oh, how I love them!--
relishing every fragment of your counsel.” (Ps. 119:41-48 The Message)

First things first…..

THEN……