Psalm 119:37

Psalm 119:37

Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;

and give me life in your ways.

 

Only the life that pursues God's commandments is a life worth living. Saints are called to give up everything for the obedience of God. There is nothing in this world which has so great a value that it can be placed beside the gospel. All that is not according to the ways of God is worthless.

 

What are these worthless things? Evil things? Yes, but not only those. This world will pass away; everything worthless will burn up (2 Pet. 3:10). But treasures in Heaven will never pass away. What is done for the love of God and neighbor, for the care of orphan and widow, for the peace of enemy and friend, for the benefit of the Church - those will remain.

 

It is only walking in the ways of Yahweh that will allow us to do these things. Only by His grace can we remove our eyes from vain things and set them on Christ (Heb. 12:1-2). We are dead when left alone; God is the Giver of life. For more of Him, we must turn to Him. We must take time to turn off the TV and stop looking at our phones, and we must see Christ. And in seeing Christ, we will live.

Psalm 115:8

Psalm 115:8

Those who make them become like them;

so do all who trust in them.

Man has sinful conflicts. He desires a god but craves control; wants the supernatural, but he must see it; he craves a deity but lusts after human form. And so man creates god in his own image. Men make god a smorgasbord of their personal tastes and so deny the true and living God.

These sinful pleasures reveal themselves in a variety of ways today. TVs, hand-held electronics, computers, musical instruments, books, houses, and cars all represent examples of inanimate idols. In and of themselves, they are harmless matter, but man makes gods out of them.

The tragic consequence of idolatry is becoming as dead as the idols worshiped. When man replaces the only true God with a god created in earthly image, he loses his spiritual senses (see vv. 5-7). His awareness of God and Heavenly things is replaced by a false sense of security in his idol. All spiritual life runs dry.

May the living and true God awaken our hearts and our senses to the reality of His eternal truth.