Erling Thu

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

To be somebody

Is to know that a mother is concerned for you

And thinking of you with a tender heart

It gives a great sense of worth

Knowing that someone is worried

With motherly love and care for you

As you are travelling places

And fulfilling your holy vocation

In serving the people of God

To really be somebody

Is to appreciate this loving concern

And give thanks to your mother

While she is still alive

When she is gone, and you realise

how valuable her worries were,

it is too late to acknowledge their worth.

To be somebody is knowing that someone cares

A father, a brother or a sister,

A friend, a fellow believer, a servant of God,

A neighbour, a postman, a nurse, a doctor,

A preacher, a football player, an athlete,

• someone cares because of love,

but no one cares like God,

he cares for all of us with his everlasting love!

A burning desire to live in accordance with God's Will

Psalm 119.5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!

This is the prayer, the longing and the heartbeat of all pious Christians. The psalmist expresses his desire to keep the law of God. That is the purpose and meaning of life, to live by the word of God. This desire goes like a red thread throughout this psalm.

There is a deep desire expressed in this verse: Oh, that my ways may be steadfast! Oh, there is a depth to this. Oh, it entails a heartfelt and burning desire. This heartbeat, oh, is turned to God and the psalmist says he is completely dependent on God's help. He has an honest desire to live in accordance with God's will. Therefore, he prays that his steps must be steadfast, or that his ways must become firm, so that he has a lifestyle in accordance with the word of God.

Those who love God are careful to do what He says!

Psalm 119:4 You have commanded your precepts (6490) to be kept diligently.

The God who created us has also given us instructions on how to live right. He has commanded us. He has told how he wants us to live. He has shown us that it is the right way of life. We cannot live the way we want if we want to find happiness and blessings in life. There is only one correct way to live: to be careful to keep the Word of God dilligently!

Your precepts, is the fourth expression for God's Word in this psalm. Precept a strong word. There is no room for negotiation or compromise here. God has given us His precepts and we must be careful to do what He says. In the Bible we find God's commandments and precepts. It is not up to us to choose and wreck between them. We have only one thing to do and that is to obey all of them!

Always choose the paths of the Lord

Psalm 119:3  who also do no wrong, but walk on His ways.

It is with great faith and confidence in God's good words and ordinances that the Psalmist says this. When we obey the law of the Lord and keep His commandments or testimonies, we will not do anything wrong. God is good and all his wayss are good for all people, yes for all societies. 

It is good to have this simple faith in the Word of God. It is safe to walk on God's path. It is never wrong to do what God says. It is always right to follow the law of the Lord and live according to His testimony. Those who do it will never do what is wrong, but will choose to do what is good, for they walk in God's way. They do not do wrong because they are righteous and have the life of God in them (see 1 John 3: 9). The character of God has been formed in them. It has become a habit for them to do what God says in the Word.

Blessed are those who keep his testimonies

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies (5713), who seek him with their whole heart.

The second verse also starts by proclaiming people blessed. These two verses are the only ones in this long psalm that use this Hebrew word esher, which suggests bliss or blessing. In this second verse, the joy and the blessing are related to keeping of God's law and seeking him wholeheartedly.

Psalm 119 thus begins with a double blessing to those who have a right relationship with the word of God. This we need to pay attention to in our days when so many people think they know better than the word of God. Many explain away the word of God and some deny what God has said in the Bible to live the way they want to. If we as Christians want to live in blessing, we must keep God's word and treasure it as our most precious inheritance. The most important thing we can pass on to those who come after us is trust in the Word of God.

To be somebody – means changing

To be somebody

is to change the template

of your life to avoid staleness

and try to achieve freshness

knowing that the external change

is nothing compared

to the dynamic change of inner life

flowing from the Spirit of God inside you

To be somebody is embracing change

welcoming new ideas and creative ways

leaving the old template behind

moving forward in the fresh anointing of the Spirit

The way to happiness

Psalm 119.1

Alef

Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord (Strong 8451).

David is so excited with the word of God that he regards ist as his highest ideal of blessedness to be conformed to it. In the first verse he starts by praising those who are blameless, those who live a life of integrity. Something that can only be done when they follow the Lord's Law. Blessed are those who live whole lives in the light of God's Word. Blessed are those who live by the law of the Lord.

We do not find happiness in life by following our own heart, for it is deceitful, says the word of God. Our own thoughts and desires will very often lead us into a disaster. But how blessed are those who are led by the law of the Lordt. In a time when many are depreciating the word of God and undermining the  trust in the Bible, I will make it very clear that I trust the Bible. By the grace of God I have lived a long life and seen different moods and trends, technics and methods, come and go. I have even seen movements and churches come and go. But the word of God stands firm. There is nothing to match the blessing of living by the word of God. I want the future generation of believers all over the world to experience this blessed life.

The Law of the Lord - the Torah of Adona - is the first phrase we encounter in this psalm for the Word of God. It is very important to understand what lies in this phrase as we find it many times in the Bible. It is customary to translate the Hebrew word "torah" by law, but according to "The Complete Jewish Study Bible" this word suggests simple instruction, guidance, or the path we should go. The Lord's Torah finds its origin in the Eternal God. He declared his commands to Israel at Mount Sinai, and Israel was to follow and teach his ways to others. Yeshua, the Messiah and the living Word, embodies the will of the Father. The Spirit of God leads and guides the followers of Yeshua into all truth, enabling them to observe all God's instructions. In his teaching to his emissaries, Jeshua confirmed the importance of Torah by saying, "If you love me, you will keep my commans" (John 14:15). The Lord's law is linked to a loving relationship with the Messiah. It's about loving him and doing what he says in faith and trust.

“You are only truly happy when you walk in total integrity, walking in the light of God’s word.” (TPT)

Psalm 119: God's Word - Our Richest Treasure ever

The past year I have read Psalm 119 many times. Each time I am filled with gratitude and joy to have access to God's Word. This psalm is the longest in the Bible and perhaps the most elaborate in style and structure. The Psalm has 176 verses and is divided into 22 sections, one for each of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet in alphabetical order. Each part consists of 8 verses and everyone of these verses start with the same letter.

The psalmist, who is probably David, rejoices in the Word of God and praises the Lord for all the blessings he finds in the Word of God. He uses at least 10 different words or expressions for the law of God, and one of those words he usually uses in every verse. The psalmist is eager and persevering to understand and live by the Word of God. He memorises the Word. He meditates on the Word. He longs for the Word. He waits for the Word. He let the Word control life and behavior. He finds hope and peace as he is guided by the Word.

I believe Psalm 119 is very important for all Christians in this age. Therefore, I intend to take my readers with me through this hymn, verse by verse, day by day. This is a great way to start the new year: to focus on the Word of God! I started doing this in January in my own language, and it has been well received. I have been encouraged to put it into English to make my meditations on the Word become available to more people. 

I plan to take you through the entire Psalm verse by verse, day by day, for five days a week. Please follow me and leave your comments and insights.

Psalm 119 is the alphabet of divine love, the paradise of the Christian doctrine, the treasury of the Holy Spirit, the school of truth, and the deep mystery of Scripture where moral discipline and all Christian virtue shine through everything. This Psalm is like a Christian ABC who teaches us to meditate on the treasures of the Word of God, treasures of praise, love, power. It shows us how we can use the Word of God in the everyday life.

 

Blessed are those who live by the Word of the Lord.