9/25 My Purpose in Life

My Purpose in Life

 

What is your purpose in life?  My purpose?

 

“Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.”  Psalm 119:75 NIV

 

HOW DO WE DO THIS?

 

 

If you spend much time watching the news (by the way, I don’t) you get the idea that everything is falling apart.  You can become hardened about the poor, the hungry, the “natural” disasters and the death that is left behind – the amount of crime (etc.).

 

“Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.  136Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.”          Psalm 119:136-136 NIV

 

1^st – I should be broken over my sin.  I can almost miss it – like monopoly where I acknowledge to God, pass

       Go and collect my $200.  Grace is so easy.

2^nd – the sin around me should grieve me.  I shouldn’t respond only intellectually with “Wow, can you

       believe that?”  I should experience sorrow and grief.  It should move me in my prayer efforts.

 

We can easily get so used to our sin and the sin of the world.

 

LOVING GOD = LOVING HIS WORD

 

“Oh, how I love your law!  I meditate on it all day long.”  Psalm 119:97 NIV

 

You can’t separate your love for God and your love for His Word!

 

So the question is:

 

HOW DO I GET TO THAT POINT?

 

Last week – remember the progression (What I need to do – 12 steps)

 

BALANCE – doing God’s Word (quiet time) to delighting in God’s Word

 

I MUST DO IT FIRST, BEFORE I CAN DELIGHT IN IT!

 

Remember last week?  We discussed the discipline of learning to play an instrument – the guitar.

 

I have often times been troubled why I’m not DELIGHTING IN/LOVING God’s Word.  Gee, I wonder what’s wrong with me.  The reality is, we observe it before we delight in it.  Let me share an example from this morning:

 

Your child is playing Tee Ball.  When he starts, he begins by hitting the Tee only.  Not much delight in that.  J  As he spends time with a coach and continues to practice he begins hitting the ball.  As he matures, he can hit pitches.  The point is this – we have to have the discipline of studying/reading God’s Word prior to delighting in God’s Word.  From this morning – a farmer works diligently preparing the soil for the harvest that will come in the fall.  He is disciplined before he ever tastes the fruit of his labor.

 

HOW DO YOU KEEP STUDYING DURING “DRY” TIMES?

 

You can follow belief or feeling!

 

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  9”As the heavens are higher than the earth so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.  10As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, 11so is my word that goes out from my mouth:  It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55:8-11 NIV

 

WOW – what a great promise!  Most of us have a DESIRE to see God manifest Himself in our lives.  We can be assured that God is doing something when we walk away from our quiet time “feeling” a void.  We can walk in confidence with our belief that our lives are changed – we have been renewed.

 

For Next Week:

1. List of benefits of being in and knowing God’s Word based on Psalm 119.
2. What does God do through His Word?
3. What do we gain?
4. How do we get to the point of better delighting in God’s Word?

 

“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.” Psalm 119:18 NIV

 

Prayer:

Father, let my life be one of praise to You!  I desire to love You and Your laws more today.  Teach me Your truths and give me understanding as I study today.  In Jesus’ name.

 

9/18 Walking in God’s Word

Observations and how/what to pray/do from Psalm 119

 

God wants all of us – all of the time.

 

“Blessed are they who keep his statutes and seek him with all their heart.”  Psalm 119:2

 

We discussed the idea of disciplining ourselves to read and study God’s Word prior to taking delight in it.  We talked about beginning to play an instrument – let’s say the guitar.  If I begin to play today – I’m not going to have much delight in it.  In fact, it will be a bit frustrating.  I will need to discipline myself to the process before I ever see the results of my efforts.  A simple, but practical example when we look at studying the Bible and taking “delight” in His Word.

 

We shared the “cycle” many of us have experienced in our maturation process as Christ followers.  Yes, we are all still continuing that journey.  J  It looks like this; however, please understand that this is just a model.  Your experiences may be different.

 

What I need to do:

1. Observe (v. 2)
2. Seek (v. 2)
3. Walk (v. 3)
4. Keep (vv. 4-5)
5. Give thanks (v. 7)
6. Learn (v. 7)
7. Meditate (v. 15)
8. Delight (v. 16, 47)
9. Trust in (v. 31)
10. Trust in (v. 42)
11. Wait for (v. 43)
12. Believe in vv. 44-45)

 

What I need to ask God to do (especially vv. 17 – 40):

1. Bless (vv. 1-2)
2. Help establish my ways to keep His law (v. 5)
3. Do not let me wander from your statutes (v. 10)
4. Teach me (vv. 12, 26, 33)
5. Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things from Your law (v. 18)
6. Take away reproach and contempt form me (v. 22)
7. Revive me (v. 25)
8. Make me understand/give me understanding (vv. 27, 34)
9. Strengthen me (v. 28)
10. Remove false ways from me (v. 29)

 

We looked at “WALKING-IN” God’s Word:

1. Ephesians 2:10 NASB – walk in
2. Romans 6:4 NASB – walk in
3. Colossians 3:10 NASB – walk in
4. 1 John 1:6-9 NASB – walk in the light

Some key phrases in Psalm 119  - psalm-119-study-notes

 

For next week:

Let’s look at verses 89-176.