A Look at Psalm 119:31
Dedicated to God's Way
Psalm 119:31 “I hold fast to Your statutes, O Lord; do not let me be put to shame.”
There is no shame in obedience to God. There is shame in disobedience to God. David is asking God to come to his defense only because he has been faithful to the statutes of God. God will always defend those who live in obedience to Him. Though there may be times of temporary setbacks because of our obedience, eventually there will be honor, not shame. If you are a person of conviction, you will ultimately gain the respect of others even if they do not necessarily agree.
Mikhail Gusenberg, the man who brought the communist message to China, was once asked why he put so much effort into his task. He responded,
“I am not here for my health, or I would not be working in this barbarous heat. I serve an ideology. And with an ideology, it is not numbers that count. It is dedication. It is not a matter of whether we enjoy our work here. The work is necessary. That is all that counts.” Gusenberg’s ideology was (and still is) wrong, however, his unswerving dedication to it is to be respected. He succeeded in bringing communism to China. He was sincerely wrong, but at least he was sincere.
As Christians we, too, should be committed to an ideology. Our ideology should be that of doing whatever is necessary to bring glory to our God. If that is our ultimate objective, then every subordinate decision should line up with that. Too often, our objective is to get to heaven one day rather than to bring glory to God. Subsequently, we do not see service to God as something that should direct our lives. Therefore, any discomfort keeps us from working for Him.
It will take commitment to hold fast to the statutes of God the same way David did. David had a commitment to God that was driven by a deep love for God. We are to have nothing less than a heart that is just as committed to God as David’s.
Let me encourage you to take some time to pray over/through this, to meditate on this verse. As you do, ask God for a deeper commitment to Him.
Continued
