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The Scriptorium

Mind in Gear

The next step in keeping God's Word. Psalm 119.59, 60

Psalm 119.57-64 (3)

Pray Psalm 119.59, 60.
I thought about my ways,
And turned my feet to Your testimonies.
I made haste, and did not delay
To keep Your commandments.

Sing Psalm 119.57-60.
(Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
I vow to keep Your Word; You are my portion, Lord.
Let favor fill my heart; have mercy by Your Word!
When I think on my way, I turn my feet to You,
to Your path I shall not delay, Your Word to do.

Read Psalm 119.57-64; meditate on verse 59, 60.

Preparation
1. What was the psalmist thinking about?

2. What did this lead him to do?

Meditation
Our heart devoted to keeping the Law, we also need to make sure our mind is in gear. These verses work three ways as a reminder always to have our mind engaged with the Law and all the Word of God.

First, look ahead at the beginning of the day to what you have planned or what you may reasonably anticipate will cross your path for the day ahead. Ask God to show you your work and to give you the wisdom and grace you will need to glorify Him in all your day’s work (Ps. 90.12, 16, 17).

Second, as you proceed through the day, work to redeem your time, living as a wise man, following God’s Word (v. 60; Eph. 5.15-17). Seek the filling of God’s Spirit continuously so that you may have His mind concerning everything you think or do (Eph. 5.18-21; Rom. 8.5-9). And be instant – immediate – in obeying God’s Word (v. 60).

Finally, at the end of your day, review the day, giving thanks to God for His grace, confessing sins or failures, waiting on Him to teach you anything you might do to improve your use of His gift of time or to follow-up on the day’s work tomorrow, and interceding for those you encountered or served throughout the day.

We must not live mindlessly; rather, let us always yield to the mind of Christ and walk the path of His commandments (1 Jn. 2.1-6). Our heart and mind set on Him and His Word in all our time (Ps. 16.8), we will be more inclined and more likely to keep His commandments and to glorify Him in all our ways.

Treasures Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus told a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray. In the context of our verses for today, one of the men was totally out of touch with the reality of himself, and the other had his mind in gear and was in tune with his own sinfulness. He also knew how to respond: “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified…” (Lk. 18.13, 14).

He thought about his ways and turned away from his sin and turned to God and His Word (Ps. 119.59).

The prodigal son, in another parable that Jesus told, experienced this same urgent change of mind. “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son…”’” (Lk. 15.17-19).

He thought about his ways and decided to turn from them and turn to his father (Ps. 119. 59). Mind in gear.

And then we have the story of Zacchaeus. Here is a man who thought about his ways and turned from them, and our gracious Savior, helped him to do it in haste. We enter the story when Jesus finds him up in a tree:
“And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, ‘Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house.’ So he made haste and came down, and received Him joyfully” (Lk. 19.5, 6).

He made haste and did not delay to keep God’s commandments. Mind and heart in gear. Ready for a new life of service to his wonderful Savior (Ps. 119.60).

What about your story?  When you think about your ways, and God convicts you of sin, do you remedy the situation with haste? Or do you dawdle and delay?

That is a perilous path that we must not travel on: “Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn away from it and pass on” (Prov. 4.14, 15). With great haste.

Let’s go back to the story of the prodigal to see how God responds to us when we turn with haste back into His forgiving and loving arms. “But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him…for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Lk. 15.20, 24).

“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!” (1 Jn. 3.1)

“Let us always yield to the mind of Christ and walk the path of His commandments.” It is the only way to go, not to pieces, but to peace. Our mind in gear.

For reflection
1. What does it mean for you to get your “mind in gear” for keeping God’s Law?

2. Can we get our mind in gear if we are not “remembering” the Word of God throughout the day? Explain.

3. What can you do to be more consistent in keeping God’s Law by having your mind in gear?

…the commencement of a godly life consists in men awaking from their lethargy, examining their ways, and, at last, wisely considering what it is to regulate their conduct properly. John Calvin (1509-1564(, Commentary on Psalm 119.57-64

Pray Psalm 119.63, 64.
Pray for the Christians you will meet today. Ask God to give you some word to encourage them in their walk with and work for Him. Pay attention to the glory of God speaking to you from the world around, and give Him thank and praise.

Sing Psalm 119.63, 64.
(Leoni: The God of Abraham Praise)
All those  who fear You, Lord, go with me on my way,
all those who keep Your holy Word from day to day.
Around us all the earth declares Your mercy, Lord.
That I might know Your glorious worth, teach me Your Word.

T. M. and Susie Moore

You can listen to a summary of last week’s Scriptorium study by going to our website, www.ailbe.org, and clicking the Scriptorium tab for last Sunday. You can download any or all the studies in this series on Psalm 119 by clicking here.

The winds of false doctrine are exceedingly strong in our day. If we don’t recognize them, we may become swept up in them and blown off course in our walk with Lord. Our ReVision study on “Winds of Doctrine” can help you keep the sails of your soul in the wind of God’s Spirit. You can download all the studies in this series by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter (Williston: Waxed Tablet Publications, 2006), available by clicking here.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
Books by T. M. Moore

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