6 Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
but my ears you have opened—
burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
7 Then I said, "Here I am, I have come—
it is written about me in the scroll.
8 I desire to do your will, my God;
your law is within my heart."
Deuteronomy 30:19-20 This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live20 and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. For the Lord is your life, and he will give you many years in the land he swore to give to your fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Observation: In both Psalm 40 and in Deuteronomy 30, obedience is tied to an attitude of the heart. This attitude comes directly from God: "my ears you have opened" (Psalm 40:6). The psalmist had just praised God for all He had done for him and offered himself as a living sacrifice (verse 7-8).
Application: Above all, God wants our hearts to be right before Him. He loves us too much to see us walking around in blatant disobedience or even obeying through clinched teeth. God is the only one who can clean out our hearts.
This morning, one of my girls was looking for a uniform shirt to wear to school. I have explained to her (more than once) that her responsibility was to bring the shirts to the laundry room so that they could be washed. In fact, endless reminders to pick up clothes don't seem to work. Because she had not brought the shirts in a timely manner and some of the shirts were probably missing somewhere in her room, she would have to wear a different color shirt than she wanted to wear, and she had no time to straighten her room before we left for school so the cycle continues...
The truth is that I am not that much different than my daughter. A bad attitude can kill any desire to follow God. Real obedience requires a trust that the authority has your best interest at heart. Real obedience requires an attitude of thankfulness that recognizes all that has been done for you.
Prayer: Lord, my God, you are my Savior, my King, and you love me more than I can possibly imagine. Thank you for opening my ears and cleaning out my heart. I desire to do your will, my God, your law is within my heart through your Holy Spirit. Guide me through this day, Lord! Lead me as I lead my kids.
No comments:
Post a Comment