Psalm 119:1-10
Happy are all who perfectly follow
the laws of God. Happy are all who search for God and always do his
will, rejecting compromise with evil and walking only in his paths. You
have given us your laws to obey - oh, how I want to follow them
consistently. Then I will not be disgraced, for I will have a clean
record.
After you have corrected me, I will thank you by living
as I should! I will obey! Oh, don’t forsake me and let me slip back into
sin again.
How can a young man stay pure? By reading your Word
and following its rules. I have tried my best to find you—don’t let me
wander off from your instructions.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
Answer this question
honestly…have you ever turned and looked the other way when something
was happening that you knew would not please God? Maybe you observed
activity at a party that was wrong – or illegal. Maybe you knew that a
friend was cheating in some manner, and you did not confront him/her.
Perhaps you literally looked away when someone told a joke that was
off-color, racist, or derogatory in some manner. Maybe you shared
gossip about someone, even though you knew in your heart that it was
wrong to do so. Or perhaps you knew that your boss or co-workers were
stealing from the company or mistreating other employees…and you kept
your mouth shut, because you felt... a) it wasn’t any of your business;
and/or 2) confrontation could cost you the job – or your relationship
with this person.
In all of these instances…and countless more…we
compromise with evil. We may even justify this by saying, “It’s just
this once. I’ll do more for God later.” Or we say, “I’m sowing my wild
oats. I’ll settle down and live for God someday.” But let me ask you
this…how do you feel afterward?
If you truly love God, I’m
betting you feel pretty lousy on some level. These types of
negotiations with God do not make us happy – at least not in the long
run. While it’s not always easy to do the right thing…nothing else will
truly make us happy. To some degree, we will operate with a guilty
conscience…and this is never really pleasant or fun!
Hear the
good news…there is a “way out” of this mess. We can ditch the devil,
once and for all - and run as fast as we can back to God. We may think
we have tried our best to find Him...but in truth, He’s been here all
along. His guidelines are clear…His Word contains every answer we will
ever need…if only we will study it. Then we must do what God asks of
us…even those things we find difficult – or unpopular.
If you
find your life unsettled…if you are often uneasy, worried, or
frustrated...open your Bible, sit quietly with God, and let Him speak to
you. James 4:8 tells us that “when you draw close to God, God will
draw close to you.” God is waiting for you to kick the devil to the
curb and draw near to Him – and STAY there! Are you ready to make the
move?
©2015 Debbie Robus
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