Taking Joy in Obedience

 

“I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.”

—Psalm 119:7

Most of us have experienced the satisfaction of doing a job well. Whether anyone noticed or not, we can have a strong sense of our own value and worth when we complete a task knowing that we did our best.

One of the phrases my mother said to me over and over as I was growing up was “Always do your best.” She drilled into my mind and heart that no matter what I did, I should always strive to do it to the very best of my ability. Those words had a profound influence on my life.

Sometimes, in order to do the very best we can, we need to find out what is expected of us. We need to know the rules and regulations.

When we first begin to learn any task, a part of that learning involves finding out any rules, regulations, standardized procedures, recommended practices, and so forth that might apply to that task. Oh, I know that some people like to just jump in and seize the opportunity to learn as they go. And, there is no doubt that works for some people. Others, like me, want to determine the pitfalls others may have experienced so that I can avoid their mistakes.

I particularly like instruction manuals, rule books, codes and standards, standard operating procedures—anything that will help me do my very best at whatever task I’m working on at the moment.

I suppose you might properly say that I, and people like me, delight in knowing the rules. I actually think that the “jump right in” people also eventually come to delight in the rules. They just prefer to pick up that vital information after they’ve had some time to experiment a bit.

In our walk with God, it helps to know what He expects of us. That is one of the reasons we read the Bible every day. His Word discloses the information we need in order to become His obedient servants.

The Psalmist clearly understood this when he wrote these words in Psalm 119:7:

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.

Here the Psalmist was expressing praise because he had learned how to live by studying and obeying the laws God had given the people of Israel. The Psalmist knew that, in order to do his very best, he had to understand what God expected of him.

Let us begin this day by delighting in God’s Word. Let’s seek to know more about this God who loves us so much. And, let’s determine how He wants us to live by studying His precepts. If we do, we will be able to join the Psalmist in giving praise to God as we learn His righteous laws.

 

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