Introduction
Psalm 119:4-5 Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
Every one of us knows someone that is notorious for not stopping to ask for directions. They will often drive around for hours looking for a destination. Despite the time they take in their fruitless search, they just will not stop to ask anyone for directions on how to get where they want to go. To make matters worse, some that do this even have GPS systems in their vehicle. Yet, even with it taking only a minute to enter the destination or ask their device for directions they will instead drive off thinking they already know how to get there.
Precepts – God’s way
God tells us to keep His precepts diligently. A precept is a rule or general way of thinking to keep in mind before doing something. For example, a precept to keep in mind when handling eggs is that they easily break. Therefore, we should keep this in mind when we pick up or handle the eggs. If we forget this precept, then the chances of us breaking an egg are great.
At the same time, God says to keep them diligently. Doing this assures that we are consistent to pay close attention and use caution in keeping God’s precepts when we do something. The result is that we keep God’s way of doing things in our mind and they are not forgotten, which gives us direction in how we go.
God’s way is reliable
If we think about it, why does God direct us to do this? It is not to make our life miserable. But, instead, He wants to provide a reliable perspective in how we think and live our lives. More specifically, He wants our sense of direction to be aimed toward His perfect sense of direction.
Jesus taught that the Old Testament laws include not just our actions, but our thoughts that related to our actions. When we were commanded not to steal, the New Testament told us instead to work with our hands so that we can give to those whom have need. When we were commanded not to lie, the New Testament instead told us to speak the truth in love. One-by-one as we look at Old Testament commands, we see a New Testament directive to do things that are the opposite of what we were commanded not to do.
“Do” rather than “Do not”
In the matters of stealing, how can we steal if we are focused on working to provide for the needs of others? In matters of lying, how can we lie if we are focused on telling the truth? We see then that God wants us to follow His precepts to go in the right direction instead of ignoring His precepts and going in the wrong direction.
When we put it all together, God wants us to study His precepts or ways so that they become a second or “new” nature that we use as a basis to do things. To learn His precepts, we must read and meditate on His Word and hide it deep in our heart. This will provide new directions that lead us to do things how He would want them done.
Let us consider how much time we spend learning His precepts. Let us diligently ask Him for directions instead of driving off in the ways we think we should go. In doing so, we can demonstrate how asking Him for the right directions can change lives headed in the wrong direction.
