When I Think on My Ways

[Christsfreeservant]

“The Lord is my portion;​

I promise to keep your words.​

I entreat your favor with all my heart;​

be gracious to me according to your promise.​

When I think on my ways,​

I turn my feet to your testimonies;​

I hasten and do not delay​

to keep your commandments.​

Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me,​

I do not forget your law.​

At midnight I rise to praise you,​

because of your righteous rules.​

I am a companion of all who fear you,​

of those who keep your precepts.​

The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;​

teach me your statutes!” (Psalm 119:57-64 ESV)​

If the Lord is our portion, what should that look like in our day to day lives? It means he is our inheritance, our reward, someone in whom we partake, with whom we participate, that we have a share in, our treasure. So we have a part in this relationship. It isn’t all about what God/Christ does for us, but it includes what he requires of us, in return, as our part in this relationship. For faith in Jesus is a marriage relationship between us and our Lord.

So, what did the psalmist say? “The Lord is my portion; I promise to keep your words.” If we are of genuine biblical faith in Jesus Christ, our lives are no longer our own to be lived however we want to live them, but we now belong to Christ. We have been crucified with Christ in death to sin, and we have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of Christ and of his righteousness.

We should be those for whom obedience to God/Christ is our practice, and sin should no longer be our habit. And following the Lord in obedience to his commands should be our delight, not a drudgery. And we should not be those who try to find loopholes (excuses, escapes) to try to “worm our way out of” (cleverly and dishonestly) having to obey the Lord and his teachings. Our heart’s true desire should be to want to do what is pleasing to God.

Even if the wicked use clever means to try to ensnare us, to try to get us to compromise our faith and convictions, and to back down from moral purity or walks of obedience to our Lord, we should be those who hold on tight to our Lord and to his teachings, that we might remain steadfast in faith and in obedience to his commands. Our commitments to our Lord should be so strong that we will be willing to rise even at midnight to give our Lord praise.

And all of us should have the fear of God within us, believing God and what he teaches us in his word, including believing his warnings to us and his restrictions and his commands, and what he teaches us regarding the consequences of unrepentant sins, continued deliberate and habitual sin, and negligence and/or refusal to obey his commandments (New Covenant). For he says we will not have eternal life with him if sin is what we practice.

And this fear of God is giving him honor, respect, worship, veneration, loyalty, devotion, obedience, reverence, adoration, and commitment, believing his word and following him in obedience to his will and to his ways. This is what he requires of us if we are to have salvation from sin and eternal life with God. But this is a lifetime process of spiritual growth and maturity as we are being molded into the likeness of Jesus Christ by God.

And all of this stems from the Love of God which he has for us. For “love” is not being a permissive parent who allows their children to live however they want to live. As a loving God, he sets boundaries and limits for us, and he exercises divine discipline and correction to keep us on the right path. And he empowers us and he strengthens us to resist the devil, and to flee temptation, and to follow him in walks of surrender to his will for our lives.

Gospel:[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:5-10; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10; Revelation 2:1-29; Revelation 3:1-22]

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897
Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer;
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,
Holy and harmless, patient and brave;
Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,
Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,
Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;
Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,
Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,
Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

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When I Think on My Ways
An Original Work / September 2, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love