Focusing on Life Lived with Jesus 

This blog’s Scripture  passage reference: Psalm 119:136-144

I must grudgingly admit I am thankful that life throws me curveballs from time to time. It keeps me on my toes. Some of them have not been exactly what I would have chosen, yet all of them have molded my life in unique and different ways to make me the person that I am and to shape the way I have lived my life. 

In the past fifteen years I seem to have gone from being a Martha to being a Mary. Previous to my vision loss, I was so busy that I barely had time to work on an intimate relationship with Jesus.  I was definitely a Martha. I had, what I thought, was a strong relationship with Christ. I was just so busy working and squeezing everything in that I didn’t take time to sit and soak any of it in. Busyness was absorbing my whole existence. 

I went from one Friday, being a busy, busy Martha to the next Monday being thrown into the Mary lifestyle.  I am not sure I would have chosen to be a Mary,  but now that I have had time to be there, I admit I like it better, much better.  I don’t necessarily like the situation that got me here, but I love being able to live my life spending time at the feet of Jesus.

The psalmist in Psalm 119:136-144, desired that others would want to live for the Lord the same as he did.  He was experiencing deep feelings of grief. The tears were streaming down his face at the awareness that God’s Law was being ignored and disobeyed. He exclaimed the righteousness of the Lord and how His judgements are upright. 

The psalmist admits to the Lord that the testimonies He has commanded him to follow are righteous and faithful. He is consumed with passion because his enemies have completely ignored and forgotten the Word of the Lord. He then goes on to tell the Lord that His Word is very pure and he proclaims his love for it.  

The psalmist felt small and despised by those that surrounded him, but still he did not forget the precepts of the Lord. This could be so because the righteousness of the Lord is everlasting—will never end—and His Law is Truth. 

Even though trouble and tribulation have followed him around, he has not ceased to find delight in the commandments of the Lord. The psalmist beseeches the Lord to continually give him the understanding of the righteousness of His testimonies to help him continue to live for Him.  

The challenge of this passage for Christ followers could be to remain faithful under all circumstances.  The times that we feel like we are surrounded by the enemy, it can be challenging to stand for and follow God’s precepts.  Because the Lord‘s Word is precious and pure, we should challenge ourselves to be passionate about it and proclaim our love for it and find a way to live it out. 

How can we apply this to our lives? To become passionate about God’s precepts we should orient our lives so that He is the most important thing to us, meaning that we apply God’s Word to every aspect of our lives. Does that sound challenging? That was my first thought when I wrote that sentence. I just wonder what our “most important things” are and how we can line our lives up to truly follow Him. 

What does this mean to my faith? Knowing that the righteousness of the Lord is everlasting, that it will never end, strengthens my faith.  Each time that I turn to God’s Word for guidance and direction and feel that guidance and direction imparted into my life, I feel stronger in my faith.

Lord, my prayer today is that You will continue to lead me and guide me in Your Word and in Your Way.  I would ask that You always give me understanding of Your righteousness, and that I will realize Your holiness. Help the way I live my life to be a testimony to Your righteous character.

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“136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.  137 Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments. 138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful. 139 My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy words. 140 Thy word is very pure: therefore thy servant loveth it. 141 I am small and despised: yet do not I forget thy precepts. 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.  143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me: yet thy commandments are my delights. 144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting: give me understanding, and I shall live.”  Psalm 119:136-144 (KJV) 

“For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.”  Psalm 69:9 (KJV)

“The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.”  Psalm 12:6 (KJV)

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I feel that since God has given me the gift of this platform, I must always tell you about my Jesus.  

What is your relationship to the all-knowing God of the universe?  Do you know Jesus? Do you know the peace that can come only from an intimate relationship with Him?  You can know Him.  Jesus Christ, God’s Son, born into human flesh, sinless, crucified and giving His life freely, buried, arisen on the third day, will come into your life and change the outcome of your eternity.  You just have to be willing to believe and accept His truth.  

Here is an excellent website that can give you additional information about making your decision for Jesus Christ!  PeaceWithGod.net

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