The Devotional - 14

The Devotional

Comment:

Once as a young boy the neighbor took his children to the ice cream parlor. As they were leaving he offered to take me along as long as I asked my parents for permission. My father said “no” but the eyes of my mind were on “ice cream” so I told the neighbor that it was okay! Big mistake, not only was my father very unhappy with me but the circumstance of living for five minutes of pleasure turned into a long season of disappointment and trust, the relationship with my father had been marred; the root cause – coveting. We are seldom aware of the consequence or the aftermath of what we do when our eyes and our heart are fixed on self-gratification.

Challenge:

If we rely on our own will power to turn away from things that are in the end “worthless” we will fail most every time. Once the eye has seen or the heart has engaged in things that we do not need the appetite of desire is stronger than our will to abstain. Some of us reading this are feeling the hair on the back of the neck rise up in anger! That is because your eye and heart is at the present time focused of something that God or your parents have said that you must give up. You are saying “Jesse, you can’t be serious and don’t forget… you are the court jester”! Yes but even in laughter there is evidence of many years of tears. One cannot know how to laugh, if they do not know first “how to weep”!

Psalm 119:37-40

Turn (literally: cause my eyes to pass from) away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your WAY. The psalmist is saying that once his eyes is fixed on something worthless he is like a dead man to everything else around him. Notice he says to the LORD – revive me in Your way. (literally: cause me to long for) help me, as in Romans 6:1-12.

Establish Your WORD to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You. Coveting is the great destroyer, it ruined an angel called Lucifer son of the morning (Isaiah 14:12-14). So what does the psalmist mean “establish Your word” he is seeking help to reorient to the character of God as in fearing the LORD, Psalm 33:1-32 is a great help for this.

Turn away my reproach, (shame or disgrace) which I dread, for Your JUDGEMENTS are good. How bad is it to covet? For those of us who know the difference, it is very bad. Coveting dulls the soul, breaks relationship with God and destroys fellowship with the children of God (fellow believers). The judgements of God may be painful discipline, yet for the moment are good for the soul.

Behold (look) I long for your PRECEPTS; revive me in Your Righteousness. Psalm 19:7-11 are the precepts of God for every believer. If we are willing to hold fast to God’s Word, we will have a happy and rewarding life with all of our needs met. Of course the other side of that coin is to covet what we don’t have and retain a heart that is fixed on selfishness, the root of coveting.