Psalm 40:8 (NIV)
I desire to do your will, my God; your Law is within my heart.
Our Verse of the Day comes from Psalm 40, and I encourage you to read the entire Psalm for its context. I find the meditation of King David regarding his personal struggle with sin to be honest and transparent. David sees his desire to do what is right as dependent upon his relationship with God. He writes: “Be pleased to save me, Lord; come quickly, Lord, to help me.” (Verse 13) And, “You are my help and my deliverer; you are my God, do not delay.” (Verse 17) He observes the connection between desire and action as predicated upon the Word of God being embedded within his heart….
Indeed, if we desire to do the will of God, it follows that we must know and understand His will. I believe this is why the law … the commandments of God found in His Word … must be stored within our hearts. His Word must be treasured above all else! For the Word of God is necessary to change the human heart so that we are enabled to do His will. (Cf. Hebrews 4:12) The Prophet Jeremiah observed: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Cf. Jeremiah 17:9-10) And Jesus taught: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.” (Cf. Matthew 15:19) Indeed, unless we engage ourselves in the Word of God so it will become active within us, we will struggle to submit to the will of God for our lives.
Surrendering to the will of God is what accomplishes our sanctification! (Cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:3) And the sanctifying work of God within us is accomplished through His Word. Jesus declared as He prayed to the Father: “Sanctify them (disciples and future believers) by the Truth; Your Word is Truth.” (Cf John 17:17) The Word of God (His Will) has been sufficiently revealed to us through His Prophets … and in these last days through His Son. (Cf. John 1:1-2; Hebrews 1:1-2) Consider Psalm 119:11 which states: “Your Word I have hidden in my heart … so that I might not sin against You.” Indeed, His Word, hidden in the soil of a fertile heart, will germinate thoughts of righteousness and godliness to motivate whatever we say and do. Indeed, everything we do as humans (our fruit) is the outward expression of our thoughts … whether good or evil. So as we cultivate reverence for God in our inner beings, let us carefully plant His Word within our hearts to become a harvest of obedience to His Will….
The Apostle John brings us some additional insight on this matter of faith. He connects obedience with our love for God … our reverence for God expressed through obeying His commands. John recorded that Jesus told His disciples: “If you love me, keep my commands.” (Cf. John 14:15)
1 John 2:4-6 (NIV)
4 Whoever says, “I know Him,” but does not do what He commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. 5 But if anyone obeys His Word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in Him: 6 Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus did.
1 John 5:2-3 (NIV)
2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out His commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep His commands.
I think the question for us is this: “Do we truly desire to do God’s will?” Are we motivated by the love of God to please Him through obedience of His will? Are we chasing after the heart of God with reverence for Him? My solemn prayer is that we will spend more time reading and studying the Law (its commandments, statutes, and precepts) as well as the testimonies of the NT writers in order to comprehend the fullness of God’s Word and put it into practice. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of God is the spiritual tool through which He sanctifies us. God proclaimed through Moses: “I am the Lord your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.” (Cf. Leviticus 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7; 20:26; 21:8; 22:32) In his epistle, Peter quoted Moses and confirmed its application: “But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” And since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear.” (Cf. 1 Peter 1:15-17)
Yes, I believe the Lord is calling each of us to holiness … leading us with His Spirit to sanctify ourselves through His Holy Word. Our Heavenly Father desires us to live in reverent fear of Him and to do His will. So, may we have ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to His Church….
So Now You Know 