On The Journey--Daleth!

My soul clings to the dust;
Revive me according to Your word.
I have declared my ways, and You answered me;
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts;
So shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.
My soul melts from heaviness;
Strengthen me according to Your word.
Remove from me the way of lying,
And grant me Your law graciously.
I have chosen the way of truth;
Your judgments I have laid before me.
I cling to Your testimonies;
O LORD, do not put me to shame!
I will run the course of Your commandments,
For You shall enlarge my heart. Psalm 119:25-32 NKJV

For the fourth letter and segment, we see a continuous plea and acclamation by Psalmist--acknowledging the need for God's guidance through His Word and honoring Him for what He does.

When our soul thirsts for truth--what do we do? We know that our souls dry out when we lose hope--and it seems like we cannot breathe for the dust of unrighteousness clogs our ability to breathe without struggling.

Do we struggle with unrighteousness or better yet, do we recognize when we are struggling with unrighteousness? Are we convicted by Holy Spirit when we plan to do wrong or actually do or say something we shouldn't? Are we mindful of what God has said is good and true or do we simply muddle through life, doing our own thing, not considerate at all of others and how what we do impacts their lives?

When we study God's Word, are we revived by what we study? Do we understand that within His Word is the key to life--living according to His Word and benefiting from its content? Have we chosen to follow the path of truth over lying? Are we manipulators and deceitful, twisting truth for our own benefit?

The Psalmist understands that by keeping God's judgments (the blessings and curses) in front of him, he will eventually understand how God wants him to live. And he is choosing to follow Truth and is opening his heart to God for greater understanding and willing to allow God to lead him.

Too often many Believers get caught up on just studying the "good stuff" in God's Word and we ignore the warnings. Simply put--if we understood Deuteronomy 28 (the blessings and curses) and kept the commandment to love, we would never have to worry about the judgments, but since we do not demonstrate understanding--we must constantly be aware that judgment begins in the household of faith--with the Believers.

If we would simply obey God, we would have no need to be fearful of being put to shame before others.

Are we willing to follow the path of Truth or will we just continue to deceive and lie to others, thinking we are more than we are, and putting ourselves in position to be exposed, openly?

Perhaps, now would be a good time for some deep introspection-asking God to show us ourselves and give us a chance to clean up our acts, before He allows us to be "seen" as we truly are.

As we end this year--2015--let us plead with God to enlarge our hearts with understanding of His word and give us courage to live His Word on a daily basis, for the rest of our lives!