His Law in Your Heart

It seems as though there are new “laws” and rules popping up all the time. Whether it is related to online use or what is unacceptable in the driving through an area. But notice the way we look at laws, we tend to see them as restrictive and speaking as to what not to do. We may even dread the idea of having another law to keep up with and adhere. But let’s look here at what David says about the Law of the LORD.

“⁸I delight to do your will, O my God;

your law is within my heart.”

— Psalm 40:8 (ESV)

“²but his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and on his law he meditates day and night.”

— Psalm 1:2 (ESV)

I see that David is loving the Law of the LORD. He does not see any restriction and actually welcomes and cherishes the Law of the LORD by keeping it “within my heart” and meditating “day and night” on it. There is no what not to do, David sees the Law of the LORD as the what to do in giving and getting the most to and from the LORD. In fact, look at the volume of what comes from the LORD according to David.

“⁵You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

I will proclaim and tell of them,

yet they are more than can be told.”

— Psalm 40:5 (ESV)

They are too many to be declared to the world.

Here is what I am seeing and learned this morning. The LORD provides all, and I mean all according to His Law. He is gracious to the point of so much abundance that we cannot let it known the full extent. I am to keep His law in my heart, not to be sure of what not to do as it is not restrictive as one might think, but to delight in the wonder and greatness of the Law that allows me to give and get the most to and from the LORD.

What is your approach to the Law of the LORD? Are you working to be sure that you are doing what is “acceptable” and seeing it as restricting? What if you meditated on the Law of the LORD and kept it in your heart to delight in it, giving and getting the most to and from Him?

Righteous by Faith

How many of us are out there waiting to be told what direction to go and what to do? I know that is a common thing in the world. It seems as though there is minimal knowing what to do and lots of doing what told to do.

“¹¹Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ ¹²But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’” – Galatians 3:11-12 (ESV)

Paul is writing to the church at Galatia and explaining to them that we should not rely on the law to keep us going in the right direction. You can see in verse 12 above that when relying on the law, one is slave to the law. One is unable to move forward unless there is a law or decree or word that tells them. It requires obedience to the law to follow the law. One cannot be focused on the law and being guided by it and still follow the LORD and being guided by Him.

Yes, I know that the basis of the law is in the idea of doing right. But, right as to who says. Where the law allows for something, say squatting in a property and taking ownership, that does not make it right under the LORD. The law is not inherently bad or good, it is set up to benefit those who have generated it.

One should be faithful to the LORD and not the law. When we are, we will be on the side of right, without relying on the law. Squatting in a property is not inherently good or bad. Where one may be able to borrow a property for a short time, once the owner returns, that property is theirs because it is right. The squatter was simply borrowing while unused. It is in the LORD that caring for others in their time of need is allowed, and allowing for someone to borrow property is in the LORD.

It is not under the law that we are following the law. It is through faith in the LORD. We are doing good, not as the law instructs through dos and don’ts, it is as we follow the LORD and have faith in His divine work and care for us and those in need. We are an extension of Him in this world as we do the work He has for us. All that we know and do as relates to the work of the LORD is found in His Word and as such, we know all we need to know about the law.

I personally find it exhausting reviewing each and every word of the law or the rules in order to function. Trying to keep up with them does nothing but create more and more confusion and anxiety as I try to keep every rule in all situations. I choose to relieve myself of the confusion, anxiety, and exhaustion by doing what is right by way of the LORD. When I do, I am able to simply move through this world knowing that I have pleased the LORD and as a follow of Him, I have done that which is important and allow myself the chance to be counted as righteous.

What is your approach to being righteous? Are you seeking to follow all the laws and that will get it done? What if you were to follow the LORD and were okay with just doing as He commands, allowing Him the opportunity to declare you as righteous?

Thanks to Jesus the Law is Righteous

I should finish with “in us”. God’s Law is righteous as it comes from Him. It is our now new understanding of what His Law provides that we now sin. It is Jesus, who was sent to die for our sin that brings God’s Law back to righteousness in us.

“³For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” – Romans 8:3-4 (ESV)

I need help each day with my sin. I am predisposed to sinning and “NEED” help with it. I know God’s Law as I read and study each day to ensure of it. But, as noted, knowing the law only drives me to sin. I ask God each day to help me with my sin. I as for His guiding hand through my day to keep me busy with His work so that I can avoid the sin that is surely to come.

I do not have it in my own self to avoid sin. Sin I of the flesh and I am of the flesh. Thanks be to Jesus for taking my sin. Thanks be to Him for giving me the chance to avoid sin. Thanks to Jesus, I have the Word of God to keep me looking to Him that I might be able to avoid the sin. Thanks be to the LORD for providing the Holy Spirit to walk with me.

The Law of God is righteous yet, as I am of the flesh there was a need for the Law to be shown as righteous to me. Jesus was sent to do just that. He took my sin and offered me grace. The Law was demonstrated to be righteous through His actions. As such, I was brought to the righteousness of the Law so that I could use it as the guide it is.

Where do you attribute the righteousness in the Law of God? Are you looking to yourself to avoid sin? What if you were to recognize that the Law of God is righteous thanks to Jesus and you can use it to guide you to avoid sin?

The Law is Righteous

I have to be speaking of the Law of God, right? I am of course, although as I was reading and working to understand my reading this morning, I was no so sure at the start. I was seeing things through the lens of man and not of God.

You see, sin cannot take hold of one if sin is not understood to be sin. Think about small children and the grocery store. The children will reach out and grab things from the shelf and unknowingly the adult leaves the store and the child will therefore have “stolen” the item. The child is not a sinner, as there was not an understanding that the sin had occurred. And in the animal kingdom, killing is a part of the circle of life and is not considered sin. In each of the above circumstances, for me if I were to commit either of those, I would have sinned. And so, the law of God was introduced through Moses to call out the sin and define it for you and me.

“¹²So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” – Romans 7:12 (ESV)

The law of God is holy, and righteous, and good. The LORD would not have introduced them if they were not. The Ten Commandments that are referenced here by Paul were given to the people to deter them from sin. They are for our benefit to keep us on the path to righteousness. They are good and fair and healthy to uphold.

Paul specifically refers to the commandment related to covetousness. We are not to covet that which is not ours. If the commandment had not been introduced, then we would not know that covetousness is even something to be concerned with. I can see something and believe in its goodness and want to have something like it, but now, I know that I should not want that thing exactly. And there is the conflict with my heart and in my body. The commandment is there to let me know it is not right, yet all I can think of is how I want it.

The law is in place to guide and are put in place with all good intention by the one who placed it there. Regardless of where the law comes from, it was enacted with the right intention at the time and for the one who enacted. The thing is that laws of man are of the flesh and the Law of God is of the heart. God’s Law is for all and man’s law is for the one. Therefore, God’s Law is righteous. Man’s law may come from righteous thought and/or action, yet they are generally directed at a select situation and not for all.

I have to do things according to God’s Law to ensure that I am taking actions that are righteous. I know that there are others in this world with more than I have and to remember the commandment of covetousness and know that it is okay to want to have things like that, yet I have to avoid wanting what they have.

What is your view of the law? Are they there for you to do with what you please? What if you viewed the Law of God as righteous and for everyone as a guide through this world?

God’s Righteous Judgment

Only God can judge and His judgment is righteous.

“⁵But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” – Romans 2:5 (ESV)

I am not in a position to judge as I am a sinner. I may be a recovering sinner saved by grace through my acceptance of the death of Jesus for me, but I am still a sinner. This disqualifies me from judging others. It is not my place to judge anyway. I am not in the position of being above all. I am only a follower of Christ and a servant to Him.

God is above all things and therefore is the only one in the position to judge. He is righteous and therefore can and does render righteous judgment. He determines those who are righteous from those who are not, and in that determination or judgment, provides what they deserve. For the righteous He provides eternal life and for the other, wrath and fury.

“⁶He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” – Romans 2:6-8 (ESV)

God is the one who will judge the person, which is different than what we see here in this world. When someone is brought before a judge for actions done in this world, the judge has been given authority to render a decision on the actions of the person as relates to the law of man, not to judge the person themselves. The law of man is vastly different than the law of God. One may be in line with the law of God, which is above the law of man, yet being in line with the law of God may conflict with the law of man and will be judged accordingly. If the action is against the law of man, then the judge in this world will judge, but God will judge according to the action in relation to His law and will ultimately judge the person.

It is fascinating to me when looking at God’s Word with an open heart for His revelations in me. I am thankful for all of the insight He provides for me and the comfort of those insights. I know that I am cared for by the LORD as I walk this world for Him. I know that I may go against the law of man at times as I do the work of the LORD. He will protect me and judge me on my work for Him and as long as I have done His work, my transgression with the law of man is of no consequence to the righteous judgment of the LORD.

Where are you looking for judgment? Are you looking to be right in the eyes of man? What if you focused your attention on the law of God and sought His righteous judgment?

Guidelines for Righteous

I am a sinner who needs guidance in my life to ensure that I am on the path God would have me on. I am not able to do it on my own.

“⁷The law of the Lord is perfect,

reviving the soul;

the testimony of the Lord is sure,

making wise the simple;

⁸the precepts of the Lord are right,

rejoicing the heart;

the commandment of the Lord is pure,

enlightening the eyes;

⁹the fear of the Lord is clean,

enduring forever;

the rules of the Lord are true,

and righteous altogether.”

— Psalm 19:7-9 (ESV)

And there it is, the guideline for me in my navigation of this world. These are telling me that the LORD is the guideline. That is all I need to know and where I should look to for the guidance in avoiding sin.

God’s Word is where I have to look. He has provided the road map for me to reach righteous. As I recently wrote, righteous comes from Him. He is the place to go when needing direction. And that direction is needed at all times.

Yes, I am a born again Christian saved by the grace of God and some might think that I have reached the pinnacle of the Christian faith. And where I have been forgiven of my sins, I have not been made sinless.

Just yesterday I committed sins that I continue to commit. I seem to get tempted into them and find it difficult to avoid. The LORD sees and feels my sin and loves me anyway. He waits for me to repent, knowing that I will continue to struggle with that sin. And He forgives me. He knows that I am His and that when I come to Him I am repentant. He knows I don’t “want” to sin, that it is just a part of me being a sinner.

The LORD has placed this media in my path as a way to share my thoughts on His Word. I will again say that I am not a biblical or theological scholar by any means. I am just a sinner who is working to do the will of God and share Him with as many I can. I am not afraid for you hear that I struggle with sin as you are the same as I in that respect.

I am not asking anyone to see me as righteous as only God can declare me righteous. I can only do things that will be considered righteous. I can do those things that are in God’s plan and impact the people in my life with His Word. I need a guideline and outline of how to go about doing those righteous things. In God’s Word I find what I need. Here in the verses above I see the guidance toward those righteous things. Following the law, testimony, precepts, commandments, fear, and the rules of the LORD lead me in the right path.

What are your guidelines? Are you looking to the world to get you on target? What if you followed the LORD and used His Word as your guidelines for righteous?

Righteous is Being Thoughtful and Deliberate

I have a saying that I use often, “Focus on Getting it Right, Not Just Getting it Done”. I have mentioned this before here in my writing and feel as though I was lead to this saying this morning once again in my study of the word “righteous”. As I wrote before on the definition of righteous from Merriam-Webster, it is that we should act “in accord with divine or moral law”. In order to do so, I have to consider divine or moral law in my actions, and to do so means that I must first know and understand the divine or moral law and be thoughtful and deliberate in it carrying out.

Let’s consider David and Saul. Saul was no fan of David and actively sought him out to kill him. This is certainly a trying time for David and he was well within his rights to defend himself to the point of killing Saul to do so. In fact, in the passage from 1 Samuel 24, we are reminded that His enemy would be handed over to him.

“⁴And the men of David said to him, ‘Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, “Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.”’” – 1 Samuel 24:4a (ESV)

It is pretty clear here as I read, that David would be presented an opportunity to stop all the madness of pursuing to kill, by taking action in a situation given to him by the LORD. David was being pursued and found himself in the situation where he had the chance to end the situation and relax. Based on the words said, it seemed as David was presented the chance to kill his pursuer. But wait. David stopped and thought and instead took some deliberate action to avoid bloodshed and accomplish the same.

“⁴Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.” – 1 Samuel 24:4b (ESV)

What, he only cut off the corner of the robe? Well, David was acting “in accordance with divine or moral law”. Remember the commandments, thou shall not kill and love thy neighbor as thyself. David spared the life of Saul in accordance to the LORD.

“⁶He said to his men, ‘The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.’ ⁷So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.” – 1 Samuel 24:6-7 (ESV)

How often do we take hasty action based on information we have at the time and do not consider all the information that we have at our disposal. David was given information and in the moment it made sense for him to take the decisive action of killing Saul. But when he considered the rest of the information, he thought better of it and elected to act accordingly. And what did he get for his action?

“¹⁷He said to David, ‘You are more righteous than I, for you have repaid me good, whereas I have repaid you evil. ¹⁸And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me, in that you did not kill me when the Lord put me into your hands. ¹⁹For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe? So may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. ²⁰And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand.’” – 1 Samuel 24:17-20 (ESV)

He was declared as righteous and acknowledged for what he would become, by his very enemy none the less. Saul recognized that David was well within his rights to take the decisive action and kill him. Yet, David was thoughtful and deliberate and acted according to God’s Law and spared his life. David got it right.

I have to remember that to get it right means that I have to be thoughtful and deliberate. I have to look at and understand all of the information available and not just that which is presented in the moment. Will this make me righteous, I do not know. But it will help to ensure that I am taking actions that would be considered righteous, “in accordance with divine or moral law”.

How do you act in situations? Are you reactive with the information you have in the moment? What if you were to slow down, consider all information, and act thoughtfully and deliberately, “in accordance with divine or moral law”?

Law of Sin or Law of God

This morning I am continuing my study of the word “body” and was brought to Romans 7. Paul is writing on the law and sin and I am struck by it as he writes in verse 7.

“⁷What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’” – Romans 7:7 (ESV)

It is true that I would not know that sin was even a thing if it had not been pointed out to me. I would have just been able to continue through through this world doing whatever I wanted, as would you, with no thought as to consequences or that anything was even wrong or “wrong”.

But, I was introduced to sin being sin. The LORD gave us the commandments to identify the basic sins and that they should be avoided in this world. As it was introduced, I now know and there is where the struggle lies, knowing and having to avoid, or not.

But Paul points out that there is a way to avoid sin and that is to live a life under God. And we can look at it this way, there is the law of God and the law of sin. The law of God is good and that is what is found in my inner self. This law of sin is of the flesh, or the body, the outer self.

“¹⁸For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. ¹⁹For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. ²⁰Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” – Romans 7:18-20 (ESV)

Notice the words of Paul. Sin is a part of the flesh, the body. It is the law of God where we should want to do things and that is found in our inner self, not the body.

“²¹So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. ²²For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,” – Romans 7:21-22 (ESV)

I have to remember to do what is in the inner self and avoid that which is found in the body, sin. I have to rely on the one who can keep me from the sin and that is the LORD, in all of His greatness. I have obey the law of God.

“²⁵Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.” – Romans 7:25 (ESV)

What are your views as relates to the law of God and the law of sin? Are you following the body into sin as you are now aware? What if you were to look to your inner self, away from the body and into the law of God as He delivers you from sin?

Do Not Add to God’s Law

There is a lot of interpretation in our world. There is the sense that “I know what was meant because I…” I will admit that I have claimed to “know” in certain situations and in doing so have steered someone the wrong way. As a father there is an internal desire to show my boys just how much I know so that they will learn for themselves and in doing so, I may have given them incorrect information early on.

In my reading this morning I am reminded that my role is to inform and that I have to be careful not to add or take away from that which God has given me.

“²You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” — Deuteronomy 4:2 (ESV)

God has given that which is perfect. He has provided the rules and statutes that I am to follow. I am to take them as they are and apply them to my life and role here in this world. I am to hold to them and them alone and that will get me through. When I am applying the Word of God to my life as He gave it, I will continue to be in right standing with Him.

I just mentioned that what God has given is perfect and I have to remember that. His Word is meant for me to follow completely. I have to be careful not to interpret God’s Word to be or mean more that what it is and means. I have to remember not to add to it or take away any part of it to “fit” the situation I want it to.

As I stated in the first sentence of my writing this morning, there is a lot of interpretation in the world today. There is a lot of adding and taking away from what is/was written in the law of man. I have seen too often where there are statements made by those in the world who add their own thought and feelings to the words written and even take away key words and phrases to ensure that the words fit what they are wanting them to say as opposed to the actual context in which they were said. There is a twisting of the rhetoric to fit the narrative of what is wanted instead of fitting ourselves into the words as they are written.

God’s Word is perfect and what He has for us and wants from us is clearly stated and it is not up to me to make them bend to my will. Man’s words are fully pliable as they are inspired by the situation in which they were said or written and not wholly universal as God’s Word is. Where I may be able to adjust the language and interpret what was said by man to mean what I want them to and it is accepted, God’s Word is not malleable to my will. I am not to add to or take from God’s word to fit me. I am to fit myself into His Word.

I look at the Ten Commandments and see the law as God wrote it. And just looking at the commandment “Thou shalt not steal”. God did not mean or say, “unless you are wanting something you cannot afford”, or “except when someone has more than you”. God said and means to not steal anything. There is no interpretation that makes it any different, whereas in man’s law and words, there are lots of “reasons and exceptions” where the rules change based on the situation.

God’s Word is perfect and nothing I can do will make it any better. I have to accept the Word of God for what it says and not bend or manipulate it to fit me or my situation. I am to fit to God’s Word.

What is your view of God’s Word? Are you looking for it to bend to your will? What if you accepted God’s Word as perfect and bent to it as opposed to adding or taking from it as you see fit?

The Law is for Sinners

“⁸Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,…¹¹in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.” — 1 Timothy 1:8 & 11 (ESV)

Except for those policy making outliers, the law is constructed for those who are sinners to adhere. I am a sinner and am therefore subject to the law in my actions in this world. I do have a caveat to go along with that as I am not subject to the law of man as I am a follower of Christ and am therefor held to the law of God instead. The law of God is greater than the law of man and when following the law of God, I will certainly follow the law of man except where it is at odd with God.

The law, as noted in verse eight above, “is good, if one uses it lawfully”. Lawfully in this instance I believe means in accordance with God’s law as noted in verse 11 above. As a sinner saved by grace and forgiven, I choose to follow the law “in accordance with the gospel”, and therefore will by extension follow the law of man. The law of man was made for those who need guidance and are not in line with God.

“⁹understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,” — 1 Timothy 1:9-10 (ESV)

I know what may be thought when reading the above and comparing those “crimes” listed to those who profess to be Christians, “so ‘Christians’ are not held to the same crimes as others, there are plenty ‘Christians’ that have been found guilty of those exact crimes”. Yes, it is true that Christians have been caught up in the crimes identified above, and for that they are to be disciplined for those crimes. Christians are sinners like everyone else. And yes, there will be those times when we fall to the traps of the evil one. The difference is that I know that I am a sinner and should be doing all that is within me to avoid those crimes knowing that they are outside the law of God. When I am following the law of God, I should not be actively committing those crimes, remember the ten commandments at a minimum.

The law is for sinners like me. No matter that I have accepted Christ as my savior or not, I am still a sinner and am subject to the law of this world, except where that law is at odds with God. I am held to the standard of God’s Law and as His law is greater than the law of this world, by following His law I will by extension follow the law of this world.

What laws are you following? Are you looking to be good according to the law of this world? What if you were to confess, repent, and accept Christ as your savior and follow God’s Law, knowing that His law is greater than the law of this world?