What do you esteem the most?

Psalm 119:72, 128, 133, Psalm 19:10-14

What about the most valuable thing in your life? Stop reading for a moment and think of the most precious thing you have in your possession or that you've dreamed all your life of acquiring. What comes to your mind? Is it the new watch/ handbag (for women!), the new car, the new house... the list seems to be endless. Maybe you've worked out that money is not the most important thing in life and having good relationships with people are what you desperately crave for? Add to that the approval of people, freedom to do what your heart's greatest desire is, security, seeking influence and power. And so many people spend their whole lives trying to find their true worth, their identity, their goal in life in these things. 

The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:72 that to him, God's word is more important and valuable to him than millions of pieces of silver and gold. To him, the words that are breathed out from God's mouth are the most precious thing he has and will ever have in his life. Can this be said of us? The last time someone ever gave you something meaningful, what did you do with it? If you're like me, I keep it in a safe place and ever so often, take it out and gaze at it (I'm sure many of us also do the same - it's a habit I learned from my mother). God's words are meant for us to ponder and cherish in our hearts. Which brings me to the topic of the 'storehouse of the heart'. Our hearts are a bit like storerooms. Jesus said that out of the heart come either good things or bad things (Matt 6:20-21, Mark 7:20- 23 - there's a whole list here of what Jesus sees when he looks into a man's heart! *cringe*) The important lesson I gathered here is that what we allow into our hearts will eventually come out in our speech and in our actions. What I allow myself to think about, to listen, to read, to be influenced by all have a part to play in shaping who I become. And it all comes back to what exactly I choose to esteem the most. 

The word 'esteem' (taken from Psalm 119:127), is a word that I've seen a lot in the Bible and it's often not discussed much. 'Esteem', by definition, is to highly respect and admire. When King David sinned regarding Bathsheba, the prophet Nathan rebuked him with these words 'Why did you despise the commandment of the Lord by doing evil in His sight?' When we choose to sin, we are disrespecting God's word and even worse, belittling the God who made the Universe and who holds everything in His hands. Who holds your life in His hands and Who knows exactly what you are thinking about right at this very moment because everything is laid bare before Him to whom we will have to give an accounting for of ourselves regarding every word we've uttered. Convicting and humbling isn't it? I'm not trying to instill a sense of fear that God knows everything about you and what's going to happen to you in the future, but the reality will cause you to desire to walk with God in holiness on a greater level as it is doing for me. 

Psalm 119:133 is a great verse to pray over. There are so many elements that I wish to discuss in detail, particularly with its connection to Psalm 19: 13-14. The Psalmist prays for God to establish his steps and direct them in His word. That the direction and inclination of his life will be completely and fully turned towards God. To establish every thought of the heart towards him. And that sin will not have dominion over him. That by the power of the Holy Spirit, I am able to live a life where sin will not overcome me and through every thought, word and action, I will be kept blameless before Him. The prayer here for God to keep me away from sinning against Him as I hide His word in my heart. And that He will clear me of my hidden faults, cleanse me of my sinful self, because only He can truly discern my errors and my unconscious faults. For God's divine protection to keep me away from straying down the wrong path (Psalm 119: 29-30). Another question Psalm 19 raises: what do I meditate in my heart on by the second? Leads me to think of the possibility (and probably reality) of being able to think about God with every breath that I take in, and perhaps what God intended for us to do at the very beginning when He created humans to have fellowship with Him. 

Give God's word the value that He deserves and walk in obedience to His calling. Does He have your whole heart today?