When I learn Thy righteous judgements."
To be thankful is a command. (see Philippians 4:6-7) How can we be anything but thankful in view of what God has done for us in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5: 17-21 -notice the "if" in vrs 17...it's important) But what we are often found thanking God for is the stuff he has given us. Or what we are often running to Him in prayer about is more stuff or for Him to fix the stuff that has been broken. Everything revolves around us and our stuff... this is being man-centered not God-centered. Look at Hosea 13:4-6 = They were delivered to a promise land, and when they got to the promise land they forgot the hand that delivered them. (Read Deuteronomy 6:4-12)
Have you ever just been thankful for the fact that God has given you His words? Have you ever been thankful that He has given you the ability to learn them? If we were given over to ourselves and our depraved minds without a word from God, a judgement or a precept we would be hopeless. Everything we have is from Him. The air we breathe, the talents we have, the mental capacity to learn, and His Holy Spirit directing our depraved minds. Our nature is corrupt and therefore everything flowing out of it is corrupted. Our only real hope is for that nature to be changed, and that is what God has offered us in Christ - a new nature!
(vrs. 119:7) It is He that gives us the "upright heart". It is He that gives us "understanding and the ability to learn". And it is His Truth that we so desperately need... need to keep. And it is his ability (grace) that is given to us so that we may indeed "Keep" His words...
So that we may not be "forsaken by God utterly" (vrs 119:8) or just plainly "left to ourselves and our own thoughts". (Romans 1:21-32)
Read Davids prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:13-20.
2 comments:
what you say is so true -- we rush into the presence of almighty God with our list of things we want -- and then rush on -- and there certainly is a time to bring our needs before the Father -- but how much better our lives would be, if we
just stood in holy awe -- quiet --- before the one by whose power we are sustained.
santress
Yep...we rush in and ask what we want and if we don't get a quick answer we rush to Visa and MasterCard and totally miss out on what God was about to do. Reveal more of Himself; which is the most valuable possession we could obtain. He makes Heaven a glorious place...not His stuff -but Him. To many focus on the Mansions and Gates and lose sight of Him...They will most likely here "Go away I never new you"
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