Skip to main content

Learning

         I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. (Psalm 119:7) 

Learn is the first key word in this passage, at least today. The book I’ve been reading with my Sunday School class for the past 13 weeks is Renovation of the Heart. It’s all about learning, which involves gaining information and putting it to use. It’s not enough to read God’s righteous laws. It’s not even enough to memorize them. The whole point is to build them into our lives.

And if we return to the ideas presented over the past few days, it makes perfect sense to praise God as we learn His righteous laws, because it is as we learn to live in the way we are designed to live, our lives must improve, even if our circumstances don’t.

One reason for this is that when we understand how things are supposed to work, we’re better able to understand that something is wrong, and possibly what is wrong.

The second key word in this passage is upright. How often do we praise with an upright heart? Put another way, how often do we praise as a means to an end? How often do we praise because we’ve gotten what we wanted? Do we praise because the music moves us to, because it makes us look good, or because everyone else is excited, too?

This is where my challenge fell last night. After I turned out the lights, I decided to praise God until I fell asleep. There was no music, no good news, no wonderful Bible passages running through my mind. Yet, this is a time in which we should also praise. If God is good all the time, then God is good when we can’t muster the “yippy skippy” feelings to say that God is good all the time

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more