Devo | Psalm 119

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Psalm 119: 33-40 
Scripture
Teach me your decrees, O Lord;
I will keep them to the end.
34Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions;
I will put them into practice with all my heart.
35Make me walk along the path of your commands,
for that is where my happiness is found.
36Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money!
37Turn my eyes from worthless things,
and give me life through your word.
119:37 Some manuscripts read in your ways.
38Reassure me of your promise,
made to those who fear you.
39Help me abandon my shameful ways;
for your regulations are good.
40I long to obey your commandments!
Renew my life with your goodness.

This scripture touches the heart.  I am constantly fighting this temptation to hold onto money, to use it only for personal gain, and to envy the newest object.  Amazon Prime days are this week and though I do not need anything I am inclined to buy something. It is so easy to click buy now on my phone app.  It is so easy to order something when I do not have to physically hand over the cash but just magically charge it to the card.  I want I want I want.  Sometimes I feel like a little kid stomping my feet and screaming loudly because I did not get what I wanted.  I recognize that I should be wise with how I spend my money.  That I should be giving at least 10% to the church, saving 10%, then using the rest to ensure that our primary needs (food, gas, utilities, mortgage, etc) are paid for but this little voice keeps creeping into my head.  “Buy it! It will not hurt anyone.  Buy It! You know you want it.  Buy It! You deserve it.”  To be honest this voice is annoying, and I wish this voice would go away but it probably never will.  The voice is deceptively right that it will not hurt anyone, I do want it, and questionable whether I deserve it even if I think I do.  The problem with listening to this voice is that it is not a voice from God, and it prioritizes the wrong things.  This item will satisfy me in the short term, but it will never satisfy this hole inside of me.  I am learning to constantly surrender over everything I have to Jesus.  Recognizing that what I have is His in the first place. That all the money I earned was God’s before it was ever mine and the portion, I give back does not compare to what He has done for me.  The truth is I could never pay God back.  Our God overflows with unparalleled graciousness, compassion, and love.  God will never stop giving.  I need to stop focusing on the finite and instead surrender to the infinite. 

Observation- The writer is looking to be obedient to God’s rules.  The writer does not just want to hear what God is saying to him but instead has a desire to respond.  Money is probably a big struggle of this writer and culture as it is emphasized in the text more than other temptations.  Money causes us to pursue self-serving goals, to be tempted, and to stir up envy inside of us.  Money can bring about evil inside of us.  We begin to desire the things we do not need or the things that are contrary to that of God.  The writer is looking for wisdom and guidance among his struggles so that he is not lead astray. 

Application- That we surrender everything to Jesus.  Our Jobs, our family, our lives, and yes, our finances.  God calls us to be free from all our desires.  That we should pray before any decision we make and seek the wise council of our God.  That our decisions should be rooted in Him not in our desires. 

Prayer- That I and you may surrender our finances over to Christ.  It’s not about me!


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