True Delight

How can a young person stay pure? By obeying your word.

Psalm 119:9

What does it mean for us to try and keep our way pure?

The psalmist(s) in Psalm 119 seem a little crazy. If you look at verses 9-16, it seems obvious that this person feels very strongly about the law. Devotion can be found in his words; it’s true kind of love. Is the law not more or less a list of rules? Is it not a list of words that establishes a boundary between what you can and cannot do?

Oftentimes, we struggle enough to obey any kind of rule or law, much less actually show a high level of devotion to it. Yet, many of the verses in Psalm 119 convey an intimate desire to heed the word of the Lord.

Yet, we live in a world surrounded by people, in many cases people who call themselves Christians, who choose to live their lives their own way. They pay no attention to following any sort of law, and then, there seems to be little consequence for their actions. In fact, there often seems to be nothing but benefits: popularity, wealth, some level of fame.

Psalm 73:3-5 can sometimes become our song.

So, why should Christians allow something like Psalm 119 carry weight in how they live their lives?

Trust.

A Christian should try to maintain a certain lifestyle, not out of some sense of piety or sense of self-righteousness, but because living along the guidelines that God has established demonstrates our love for Him in that we believe that He is better than anything that this world has to offer. Now, the Lord created this world, and He wants us to enjoy it. He does not, though, desire for us to get caught up in the things of this world.

He made us for relationship with Him. The unyielding desire that exists within the heart of humanity is can only be satisfied by Him. The Lord knows that He is what’s best for us, that the satisfaction that He provides goes beyond anything in this world (John 4:13-14).

Living a certain way isn’t supposed to be a matter of bragging rights. It’s not a way to look down on anyone else. No, the only reason that the Christian should live a certain way is because the person hopes to find (and does find) something so much greater by seeking only God.

Following a certain lifestyle becomes relevant only because it helps us keep the right perspective of our true delight — the Lord.