Give Me Life!

Scripture:
Turn away the reproach that I dread, 
for Your rules are good. 
Behold, I long for Your precepts; 
in Your righteousness give me life!  (Psalm 119:39-40)

Observation:
-God is the one who is able to turn away the reproach we face for our disobedience.
-We must long for God's ways.
-By God's righteousness we gain life.

photo by Ken Davis©2013

Application:
In Your righteousness give me life!  For us who are called by His name that plea has been answered.  This is quite simply the message of the Gospel.  We have earned the reproach of God for we are unable to keep His good rules on our own.  If I were to stand before God without Christ I would be met with HIs disapproval for all of my failings.  Nothing I can do to change that on my own-I blew it the minute I first sinned-probably that first little rebelion I exhibited with my parents.  Even being raised within a godly family I was prone to sin.  if I look at the ten commandments as Jesus says we ought (Matthew 5:21-48) then my guilt only increases.  Oh, what a wretch was I!

But God.  I love that thought- But God.  He did send His son to become sin for me on the cross- In Jesus' death and resurrection I have forgiveness of all of the sin in my life- His blood covers it all.  "Marvelous grace of our loving Lord!"  God's rigtheousness has given me life.  Now that I have it, what a waste it would be if I were to neglect God's ways.  How ungrateful I would seem if I ignored His precepts.  So instead I long for them.  I long to know God's ways, all of them, as much as any person on earth can know.  

I saw a little video recently of people carrying crosses on their backs.  They were obviously heavy, cumbersome, and even drug the ground a bit.  One fellow asked the Lord to take a little off His cross to make it easier for him to carry it and the Lord did so.  The man walked a little farther and soon the burden became too much again and he asked the Lord to take a little more off.  The Lord shortened it some more and it became much easier for the man to carry.  He even started to whistle a little tune.  As the group reached an impassable, expansive gap across their path the others used their crosses as a bridge to make it to the other side.  The poor man who had continually asked the Lord to make his cross shorter and lighter found that the cross he carried was not able to bridge the gap.  What a picture of how we sometimes treat this gift of salvation.  When I think of just how much Christ suffered out of God's great love for me I am often ashamed at how lightly I take His precious gift.  He has saved me from death and all He asks is that I live for Him, that I walk in His ways-and even then He does the work in my mind and heart that allows me to carry out that desire.  It is not a lighter load that we should seek, but the strength to take up our cross and follow Him. (Matthew 16:24-26)

Grace, Peace, and Mercy,
Deb

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