All Your Heart

Posted on December 9, 2019 by Catey Stover in Freedom Fighters

Joyful are those who obey His laws, and search for Him with all their hearts. Psalm 119:2

Last week we looked at verse 1 of Psalm 119 and touched on integrity. Today we want to unpack at little of verse 2.

Commentator VanGemeren says that “this is a psalm not only of law but also love, not only the statute but also of spiritual strength, not only of devotion to precept but also of loyalty to the way of the Lord. The beauty of this Psalm resounds from the relationship of the psalmist and his God.”

One of the dangers of the current “sloppy-grace-exchanged life” teaching is that we are no longer bound to obey and keep God’s laws. While we are under grace and not under the “law,” it doesn’t give us a “get out of jail free card” ignore the full counsel of God. We certainly cannot say that we are no longer bound to obey the Ten Commandments.

Today’s verse tells us that those who obey God’s laws are blessed/happy, especially when we search for Him with all of our hearts.

Sometimes it is easy to pass over LITTLE words that are packed with BIG meaning. The little word ALL is one of those words. When it comes to obedience, we sometimes treat obedience as something that is negotiable.

So maybe you are not willing to look at the word “law” from the Old Testament because Christ came to fulfill the law. But what do you do with the commandments from the New Testament? Well, I like this one so I will obey that one. I don’t like that one so … or maybe you are saying, “I am obeying on the outside, but not the inside.”

One day we were driving down the Garden State Parkway with a friend coming back from New York City. We had stopped at a friend’s house to pick up several black bags of underwear for the Colony of Mercy men.

My friend was driving in the left-hand lane and going pretty fast. All of a sudden, he said, “There’s some nut following me and flashing his lights. There’s all this room on the parkway, why is he tailgating me?”

Well, those flashing lights turned to blue flashing lights, and my friend was pulled over to the left. When the cop came to the window, he asked for my friend’s license and registration.

My friend asked what he did wrong, and the cop said you were driving too fast and driving in the left-hand lane when there are clearly signs on the parkway saying that the left lane is a passing lane. My friend snapped back and said, “And when did that stupid law get passed?” The cop said, “When the Parkway opened,” to which my friend said, “I want your name and badge number. That’s ridiculous.” All the while, the rest of us are shaking our heads and hoping beyond hopes that the cop wouldn’t ask to check the vehicle. How would we ever explain three full black bags of men’s underwear?

The more we immerse ourselves in the Word of God, the more His Word begins to change our hearts and minds. Obedience to His Word should be a desire of our hearts the more and more we fall in love with Jesus.

It’s not partial obedience. It’s not that passive-aggressive obedience. It’s obedience from a surrendered heart:

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deuteronomy 6:5

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ Matthew 22:37

So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” Luke 10:27

The more I dig through Psalm 119, the more I see some pretty cool reasons why King David loves the law. Commentator Allen P. Ross says: To seek the Lord with a whole heart means that they are completely occupied with the discernment of the Lord’s will revealed in His Word. It is the people who keep God’s laws and diligently seek Him who are blessed by Him.

Written By Bill Welte: President/CEO of America’s Keswick: Bill has been married to his childhood sweetheart for 40+ years and has four married kids and 11 amazing grandkids. He loves music and is an avid reader.

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Think About This: “Those who go against the grain of God’s laws shouldn’t complain when they get splinters”-Anonymous

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the doctrinal and theological views held by America’s Keswick.