Psalm 119:145-152
Notice how the psalmist says that he prays with all of his heart. God’s promise to us is that when we seek Him with our whole heart, we will find Him. What is our whole heart? It’s every part of our being. It means being singularly focused on the One who makes all things possible. When we seek Him first, above all else, we will find Him, and He will give us everything we need (Matthew 6:33).
It’s interesting that the psalmist prays to be revived by following God’s regulations. In the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:47:
“These instructions are not empty words—they are your life!”
And consider the words God spoke to Joshua:
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Joshua 1:8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jos.1.8.NLT
“Only then”—that sounds like a condition to me. In other words, we should not expect God to show up if we are not giving Him our whole heart and complete attention. This reminds me of James said:
“But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
James 1:6-8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.1.6-8.NLT
Divided loyalties never serve us well. To be excellent in one thing, we must say no to many other things.
There were many of sacrifices I made growing up in order to be a professional golfer. There were a lot of activities I was told to avoid so that I wouldn’t jeopardize what I was good at. Unfortunately, during my first year in college, while on golf scholarship and our team was undefeated for the fall season, I didn’t heed that advice and made a poor decision. I accepted an invitation from some friends to go roller skating—something I was not good at. I tripped over my skates, fell, and broke my wrist.
I will never forget the conversations I had with my dad and my coach afterward—they were not pleasant. Thankfully, it was a small break, and I was only out for six weeks. However, I missed our last fall tournament. Our team rallied without me, though, and won the tournament.
We must be careful not to jeopardize what we are called to do by getting caught up or distracted in lesser things.
In the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12:
“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.6.12.NLT
Paul reinforces this again in 1 Corinthians 10:
“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.10.23.NLT
To reach our goals in life, we must be willing to say no to certain things. And in order to serve God well, we must learn to say no to things too.
It’s interesting that the psalmist prays to be revived by following God’s regulations. In the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:47:
“These instructions are not empty words—they are your life!”
And consider the words God spoke to Joshua:
“Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.”
Joshua 1:8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jos.1.8.NLT
“Only then”—that sounds like a condition to me. In other words, we should not expect God to show up if we are not giving Him our whole heart and complete attention. This reminds me of James said:
“But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.”
James 1:6-8 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/jas.1.6-8.NLT
Divided loyalties never serve us well. To be excellent in one thing, we must say no to many other things.
There were many of sacrifices I made growing up in order to be a professional golfer. There were a lot of activities I was told to avoid so that I wouldn’t jeopardize what I was good at. Unfortunately, during my first year in college, while on golf scholarship and our team was undefeated for the fall season, I didn’t heed that advice and made a poor decision. I accepted an invitation from some friends to go roller skating—something I was not good at. I tripped over my skates, fell, and broke my wrist.
I will never forget the conversations I had with my dad and my coach afterward—they were not pleasant. Thankfully, it was a small break, and I was only out for six weeks. However, I missed our last fall tournament. Our team rallied without me, though, and won the tournament.
We must be careful not to jeopardize what we are called to do by getting caught up or distracted in lesser things.
In the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:12:
“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything.”
1 Corinthians 6:12 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.6.12.NLT
Paul reinforces this again in 1 Corinthians 10:
“You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is beneficial.”
1 Corinthians 10:23 NLT
https://bible.com/bible/116/1co.10.23.NLT
To reach our goals in life, we must be willing to say no to certain things. And in order to serve God well, we must learn to say no to things too.
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