BELIEF IS BELIEVING –

The maturing young pilgrim in this psalm continues to discover what things in life count for something, and those which count for nothing. Like everyone else trying to achieve some important goal, he was open to applause and support from those around him. But at the same time, realized he must be ready for those who only find fault and saw weaknesses in his performance. Eventually he had to decide just who he was trying to please by living the way he did. It didn’t take him long before he settled on making God proud of his efforts, because it was God who gave him the opportunity to begin with. Long before it became a popular notion, this young man learned: “You can’t please everybody.” But he also found out that God was pleased if He knew, he was trying to be obedient to His word even if he failed at times.

“O LORD Eternal, You’ve been so good to me, just as You advised me You would do. Help me keep looking forward and make good decisions, because I trust in every one of Your commandments. I learned a hard lesson when I backslid; but now I know how much obedience to Your advice counts. You were more than gracious to me, so now I want to learn even more about Your principles for living. Some arrogant people lied about what was really going on in my life, but I remained wholeheartedly committed to Your guidelines. Their minds are as thick as lard; but I enjoy filling my heart with Your Teachings. My embarrassment turned out to be good for me; it taught me to stick with Your principles for living. Because what Your Teachings are worth more to me than any amount of gold or silver.”

“After all, You made me what I am; so give me more understanding so I can better follow Your commandments. Other believers are always happy to see me, because they see I’m following Your advice. I’ve learned, O LORD Eternal, that Your declarations always prove to be right, and even when I’m embarrassed, You stand by me. So let Your unending love for me be Your sign of approval, in keeping with the promise you made to me. Yes, let Your compassion for me be all I need to survive, for I enjoy making You happy by following Your Teachings. Let my detractors see how foolish they were to criticize me for no reason; as far as I’m concerned, I will continue meditating on your guidelines. So let my fellow believers who worship You and believe in what You’ve commissioned me to do, along with those who really understand Your instructions. My desire is to be so totally committed to Your principles for living, so I will not be embarrassed by the way I live.” Psalm 119:65-80

Reflection: What a joy it is to see sport superstars such as baseball player Albert Pujols; basketball player Jeremy Lin; football player Tim Tebow; hockey player Shane Doan, NASCAR driver Blake Koch, PGA professional golfer Derek Ernst and others, share their faith in God openly during interviews following their games. Whenever a sportscaster asks them how they feel about winning, more often than not they begin with, “I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!” After suffering a severe torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) to end his season in 2011, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson surprised everyone by coming back so soon in 2012 and having one of his best years. When asked by a TV reporter how he was able to accomplish it, he told him that it was his faith in God and God’s Word that motivated him to give his best so God could make the best out of it. No doubt the psalmist felt the same way about everything he achieved. He quickly acknowledged that all of his abilities and talents came from God. Therefore he committed himself to use them to honor God, not himself. He, along with the sport stars mentioned, causes us to ask this question: “How does anyone achieve more and become a greater success, than to do it all for the glory of God?” Championship rings, gold medals, and shelves full of trophies from admiring fans here on earth will be sold, traded, or thrown away after we’re gone, but the crown of righteousness waiting for us at our heavenly Father’s throne will last for all eternity. Now is the time to decide which ones are worth striving for, even being ridiculed for, but most of all, being remembered for.