If we were all to ask ourselves, “What is the most important thing in our life?” we would no doubt all say, “The Truth,” or “The Coming of Christ,” or something along that line. It is certainly true that we all want immortality or we wouldn’t be here today. And we all know we will not have it without living the Truth. Yet, just how badly do we want immortality?
We can help our own honest self-examination by asking ourselves what is the highlight of one of our normal days. We probably feel we should answer that it is doing Bible readings or spending time in prayer. But would that really be true? Is our daily highlight something far more trivial, like getting off work, or eating dinner or reading the paper, or something else of a non-spiritual nature? And what about the highlight of our week; in all honesty could we really say it is the breaking of bread that we look forward to most? Or is our highlight Monday-night football, some weekend relaxation activity or shopping with a friend?
How badly do we want the kingdom?
We could also test our desire for immortality by honestly asking ourselves, how much are we willing to sacrifice to be in the kingdom? Are we really willing to make our lives a living sacrifice, day in and day out, that we might live in God’s way? Or do the things of the world hold such a delight for us that, while we want immortality, we really want both it and the things of this world?
As I was preparing this exhortation, I asked these questions of myself and found them disturbing. Probably most of us would feel the same way. Sometimes we find ourselves failing miserably, which causes us to be plagued by doubts about our own sincerity in the Truth. No doubt that’s how it should be, because the standards of God are not low, they are high, and the way of the world is enticing and easy to follow.
Powerful words in Psalm 1
The first Psalm sets the matter very plainly in the first two verses: “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night” (Psa. 1:1-2).
At first glance, verse 1 may seem to be repetitious. But, upon a careful reading, we see three distinct phrases marking three stages of spiritual decline.
- To walk in the counsel of the ungodly is to follow the guidance of an actively bad person.
- To stand in the way of sinners is to approve the conduct of one who knows what is right but deliberately does what is wrong.
- To sit in the seat of the scornful is to settle into a continual condition of mocking what is right and being contemptuous of God.
By being here today, we are openly declaring that we do not want to let sin guide our lives, nor do we side with those who mock the Truth. But do we really want to fulfill verse 2? Do we want to delight in the law of God and to meditate on it day and night? Do we want to keep His statutes continually?
God will help
David did want to delight in the law of God and, throughout the Psalms, begged God to help him fulfill this desire of his heart.
“Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness” (Psa. 119:35-36).
When he exhorts us to “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart” (Psa. 37:4), David does not mean that in return for obedience God will give us money, health, popularity or worldly pleasures. The “desires of (our) heart” that he has in mind is the desire to go in the path of God’s commands.
Now here is a very encouraging point. If we really do want to delight in God’s law, He will help us to do that. Even if we have gone astray in the way, which happens to all of us, God will help us to straighten out our lives if we really want that to happen. “I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek thy servant; for I do not forget thy commandments” (Psa. 119:176).
God is fully aware of our weaknesses; He knows that we are but dust. He knows our need for His help and forgiveness. But He won’t help us unless we want Him to. Our attitude must be like David’s: “I have longed for thy salvation, 0 LORD; and thy law is my delight. Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee; and let thy judgments help me” (vs.174- 175).
God will delight in us
If we delight in God, He will delight in us. “They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight…Lying lips are abomination to the LORD: but they that deal truly are his delight” (Prov. 11:20; 12:22).
It is a wonderful thing to think of God taking delight in us. We know what it means for us to take delight in some little child. We know how we want to help them and care for their welfare. We know that in the world a person can be greatly advantaged if some important person takes a special interest in his career. How much more wonderful it is to think of God taking a special delight in us. We are told he will do exactly that, for: “If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day [and every day]; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it” (Isa. 58:13-14).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One