Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart. 35 Make me walk in the paths of Your commandments, for I delight in it. —Psalm 119:33-35

Previously, we spoke of how we’re to live our lives until we go into eternity. We’ve established the necessity of God’s truth being unchanging—something that can always be depended upon. Looking further into this idea, we must understand that truth, if it really is truth, can’t change from one generation to the next, or it’s not truth. There can’t be more than one truth. In other words, would it be truth if a
person in one generation were condemned for all eternity while one who lived the same way was allowed to live in heaven forever? We can see why a single absolute moral code is necessary if there’s to be any sense of justice both here and forever. If truth never changes, then there’s a way that we’re to live that never changes when our desire is to live for God.

Jeremiah wrote, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’ But they said, ‘We will not walk in it’” (Jeremiah 6:6). These words are true for us today. God still says, “My Word shows you the good path. It’s an old path, and you should walk in it.” Yet some are still saying, “We will not.”

Our psalmist prays that the Lord would teach him the way of His statutes, His unchanging truths, and help him to understand them and delight in them as he lives his life according to them. Watch the progression in the verses above: Teach— understand—keep— walk—delight. That is to be our life experience as well! We’re to be taught by the Word of God, striving to understand and keep it (which means that we’re not at liberty to change or amend it). We’re to live by it, and if we do, our lives will be filled with delight. Look at Psalm 40: “I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart” (v. 8).

This leads us to what is true from here to eternity when it comes to living for God: We obey God to express our love for Him, not to avoid His discipline. This is why the Bible is constantly showing us the idea of family rather than the slave/master or owner/employee relationship. Yes, God is our Master, and we are His possession, and we do work for Him. But it comes down to this: we serve Him because we love Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). And again: “This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). And our keeping His commands shows our love for Him!

Of course I want to avoid God’s discipline, and yes, we all should. But it shouldn’t be like what we see so often in this life, where people put on a good front when they think God’s watching, but the rest of the time, they live as they please. It’s like someone driving down the freeway, seeing a cop on the side of the road, and slamming on the brakes. Did they do that because they love the speed limit? No, they did it to avoid getting a ticket. But we should obey God because His commandments are a blessing, not a burden, and we love Him and delight to do His will. He has forgiven all of our sins, He will (ultimately) heal all our diseases, He has redeemed our lives from destruction, and He has crowned us with His lovingkindness and tender mercies that are new every morning and never run out. God has fed me good things. Sometimes I still get taken to the woodshed, but even then, it’s not out of fear of punishment that I obey Him but out of adoration. And this will be true from here to eternity.

Excerpt from “Beside Still Waters” now available on Amazon.

BARRY STAGNER