Day 5
January 7
Psalm 119:33-40
“33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. 35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. 36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. 38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. 39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life.”
We don’t know who wrote this Psalm, but verses 33-40 tell us a lot about their attitude. They were focused on God, His teachings, and His wisdom. They knew that God’s ways are best and wanted to continually learn from Him. To put it another way, the author’s heart was humble and teachable.
What is the position of your heart today? Are you humble and teachable? Or, is your heart hard and arrogant? If I am honest, sometimes I am not teachable. I become stubborn, thinking I know best and can do it all on my own. Although the consequences of that unteachable attitude are not always seen by others, they are never good for me. Things take way too long to get resolved. I say or do the wrong things. I become focused on the wrong thing. Frustration sets in and I eventually feel as if it will go on forever. Like a car stuck in the snow, I find myself spinning my wheels; moving very quickly but getting nowhere. Only when I become humble and teachable, asking God for His wisdom, do I finally get it right. Spend some time today seeking God’s wisdom and correction.
Laurie Hintz
“33 Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees, that I may follow it to the end. 34 Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law and obey it with all my heart. 35 Direct me in the path of your commands, for there I find delight. 36 Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. 37 Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. 38 Fulfill your promise to your servant, so that you may be feared. 39 Take away the disgrace I dread, for your laws are good. 40 How I long for your precepts! In your righteousness preserve my life.”
We don’t know who wrote this Psalm, but verses 33-40 tell us a lot about their attitude. They were focused on God, His teachings, and His wisdom. They knew that God’s ways are best and wanted to continually learn from Him. To put it another way, the author’s heart was humble and teachable.
What is the position of your heart today? Are you humble and teachable? Or, is your heart hard and arrogant? If I am honest, sometimes I am not teachable. I become stubborn, thinking I know best and can do it all on my own. Although the consequences of that unteachable attitude are not always seen by others, they are never good for me. Things take way too long to get resolved. I say or do the wrong things. I become focused on the wrong thing. Frustration sets in and I eventually feel as if it will go on forever. Like a car stuck in the snow, I find myself spinning my wheels; moving very quickly but getting nowhere. Only when I become humble and teachable, asking God for His wisdom, do I finally get it right. Spend some time today seeking God’s wisdom and correction.
Laurie Hintz