| Yesterday's Bible Study |
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter of the Bible. It is an acrostic poem (by the Hebrew alphabet) and a prayer by someone who lives according to the law of the Lord. We see the theme of the entire Psalm in the first verse: "Blessed are [those] who walk in the law of the Lord." Walking as the Lord has directed, in holiness, according to His law, leads to blessing in our lives.
Why is walking in holiness so important? The first reason is quite simple: it's what the Lord commanded us to do. His law is not a negotiable or suggested way of living; it is a commandment and a matter of obedience to all who know Him. Second, when we don't walk in the law of the Lord, we put a wedge between ourselves and Him. Our neglect of the law is sin, separating us from God and making it impossible for us to enjoy communion with Him. Finally, walking as the Lord has instructed us leads to blessings. It gives us intimacy with the Lord on a new level, reminding us that we are never alone, that He loves us more than we could ever understand, and He is always faithful and good to us. |
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Walking in the law of the Lord is not always easy, though. Indeed, holiness means "set apart"--the word itself indicates that we will be different from those around us. The law of the Lord means that we may have to forego things that might seem pleasurable to us. It might make our friends think that we're old-fashioned, not fun, boring, or overly "religious." It means we may have to willingly be outsiders sometimes, standing up for issues when it would be easier to remain silent.
But the Lord will help us. In fact, it is impossible to walk in the law of the Lord without His help! He will meet us along the way, sustaining us through difficult decisions and bringing scripture to our minds to help us resist temptation. We are not helpless in our decisions; instead, we can rely on the Lord to accomplish what He has chosen us to do. We can trust Him completely, knowing that He will help us always.
As we walk in communion with the Lord, we will experience the blessings of a holy walk. We will get to know Him better and understand what it means to be close to Him. We will experience Him helping us in the everyday little things as well as in the major questions that come to us. We can trust Him to keep us in His law and bless us as we continue to seek Him.
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