DRIVEN BY THE ETERNAL!

OUR CHOICES EXPOSE OUR HEART

READ THE PSALM

Psalm 37:5,6

5 Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act.

6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the light,

and your justice as the noonday.

As David continues in this psalm, having reminded us not to envy the wicked, even if they seem to prosper and have what we think we need, he goes on to tell us what our attitude and resolve should be.

We must truly commit our way and trust our way to the Lord. God is at work all the time. Although His purposes are never thwarted by our distrust, we suffer loss of inner peace and fail to walk in righteousness.

We must relinquish our desire to have control over our lives. Committing our ways to the Lord includes at least two ideas: One is to truly desire eternal values. We cannot allow the world to make its standards ours; rather, we must be driven by God’s eternal purposes. He wants to grow us in the image of His Son, He wants us to help other believers in their walk of sanctification, and He wants us to share the Gospel with a lost world. The second one is to find true contentment in what God is ordaining for us.

I must constantly ask myself a very simple question: “What is driving my life”? I must trust God. How do you know if you are trusting God? A trusting heart is a peaceful heart.

Isaiah 26:3,4

3 You keep him in perfect peace

whose mind is stayed on you,

because he trusts in you.

4 Trust in the Lord forever,

for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.

We must control our minds. Our thoughts must be shaped by the Word of God. The character of God, His power, His wisdom, and His love should bring complete comfort for us. God never changes; His perfect and righteous purposes are eternal.

When we truly commit our way to the Lord, then our actions will also be visibly righteous. People will see God at work in us.

As Jesus told His disciples about His departure, an event that would rock their world, He also left them with some words that should accompany His every follower:

John 14:1

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me.

The psalmist goes on to tell us what we should and should not do.

Psalm 37:7,8

7 Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way,

over the man who carries out evil devices!

8 Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath!

Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

Two times the psalmist uses the word ‘fret’. We should not be agitated or disturbed by the prosperity of the wicked. Our responsibility is to be still and wait patiently for God to act, and not to become angry.

Anger always exposes our desire to put ourselves at the center. We are rebelling against God’s sovereignty, believing that we deserve something better than what we have.

Anger against events or people is a sign of impatience and dissatisfaction. As we deal with situations in our lives and the people that surround us, we often come to a fork in the road: trust God or fight. The first road will lead us in a path of rest and dependence that pleases God, but the second one will lead us to sin.

We must resolve today to truly trust God and be willing to wait on His work. Our reactions and attitudes will expose whether our heart is in a state of contentment, or dissatisfaction.

God is so good to give us this psalm to guide our thoughts today, as we go out into a world where the wicked seem to prosper. We will see, as the psalm progresses, that it’s only temporary.

Let’s keep eternal values and goals in mind today!