January 8, 2017

DESIRING LIFE

Psalms 34:12-15 (33:13-16 LXX)

Who is the man who desires life,
Who loves to see good days?
Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Shun evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
And His ears are open to their supplications.

Personal Challenge
Don't we all have a desire deep in our hearts to have God hear our prayers and to be open to addressing our supplications? The Psalmist provides for us here some things that we can do in our lives that will help this to happen. The first is to watch our tongues and keep it from speaking evil and our lips from uttering anything that is deceitful. The next is to shun evil, which is really much more than just avoiding it and to strive to do good with our lives. We are often told that all that we need to do is pray to God and then He will do all of the work, but the truth is that if I desire a full life and would love to see good days then I must live my life in a way that encourages this towards those around me. God's involvement in my life requires my involvement in His kingdom. As I do this and live my life this way then the petitions that I make to Him will be in alignment with what He would typically want for me. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!