Hi Mike! I LOVE the 119th Psalm, it's one of my favorite chapters in the whole bible. While doing some study on this Psalm myself a few years ago, I discovered that it was written to teach children the Aleph Bet. Each stanza has 8 verses associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

This Psalm can actually get very deep, if you understand anything about the meaning Hebrew letters. Studied from that perspective, it is actually a song of degrees or ascension or to simplify; a song intended to transform the spirit by degrees to draw us closer to the character or nature of God. Seeing that it was intended for 2 purposes--to transform character and to teach literacy to children, I asked myself (as a Sunday School teacher) why aren't we teaching this to our kids??? 

So I put it into kid speak and taught it as 'Challenge 119'. We only studied the first 80 verses, but it was a cool teaching and the kids learned alot about battling peer pressure and taking up a standard for themselves. They latched onto it much easier than we do as adults.       

I'm Speechless...

All I can think is when God looks at us, He sees our heart. 

I know this is my heart cry...
(Verse 5) Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

I thank my God and my Savior that my heart is how He judges me.  

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." I Samuel 16:7

 I believe God judges us from this viewpoint.  Those who desire to do what He requires and loves Him and still come up short are approved.  Peter--even when he denied Him and Paul who writes " I do what I don't want to do, and I don't do what I want to do!"  But ----those who may appear to keep the statutes but there heart is not toward Him----the are not approved, like the Pharisees.

All I know is I love the abundance of God's grace, that His mercies are new every morning.
Amen!

      Through the LORD’s mercies we are not consumed,
      Because His compassions fail not.
      They are new every morning;
      Great is Your faithfulness.
      “ The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
      “ Therefore I hope in Him!”

       Lamentations 3:22-24

26 "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?"

27 He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'"

28 "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
 
Notice the sequence.

1. Heart

2. Soul

3. Strength

4. Mind

What happens if you get in your car and press down on the gas pedal?

Nothing.

What happens if you get in your car and shift gears?

Nothing

What happens if you get in your car and put your hands on the steering wheel?

Nothing.

What happens if you get in your car and put the key in the ignition and turn it?

The car starts...and then all the other things will have an effect.

But unless you follow the sequence, especially the key, it doesn't matter what you do nothing will happen.

Same is true spiritually.

So often we try to figure it all out with our minds and then in our strength live up to what we have figured out. Yet nothing happens.

Jesus said our heart is where our treasure is. Our heart is consumed with who or what we are passionate about. We will gladly put our whole being, our soul, into what we are passionate about.

When we keep, treasure His word and seek Him with all our heart we live differently.

Blameless.

Does this mean perfect living or perfect heart? Can we not live perfect and yet be blameless before GOD?

David did not live a perfect life. Yet GOD later said he had a perfect heart. Evidently, repentance in the sight of GOD removes blame. A blameless person is one who repents and has their blame removed.

Notice David's confession in the verses.

(Verse 5) Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying your decrees!

He admits that his ways have not always been steadfast.

(Verse 6) Then I would not be put to shame when I consider all your commands.

He admits to being shamed for not considering all GOD's commands.

(Verse 7) I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws.
(Verse 8) I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

He admits his need to learn and obey. Requests mercy.

In what I shared from Mark 10 the expert (the mind) of the law tried to justify himself. In the end Jesus simply showed him how to live out with his heart what his mind already knew...mercy.

"Go and do likewise."

.....peace.....

<b>Tropical Guy </b>  I am not sure if "ignoring" the Old Testament is the best way to go...after all, Christ's coming to earth was to fulfill the prophecy laid out in the Old Testament - and to fulfill the Law.  We are STILL judged by the law - and we all still are guilty of breaking all.  What's changed?  Well, for the believer, Christ has made atonement and fulfilled the sacrifice required by the Law.  But those that do not put on Christ still are subject to the Law and God's wrath for breaking the Law.

You quote that the Law is dead in Christ, and that the moral understanding is written in our hearts.  Then how do you explain the unsaved?  Do you try to evangelize to the unsaved, or do you assume that they 'have it written in their hearts' and will find their own way without the Spirit working through you?  

Paul was speaking to the CHURCHES where there were CHRISTIANS...I think many of the references/justifications you make here are 'preaching to the choir", so to speak - but unless you're espousing universalism (all are saved now that Christ has defeated death), nothing you say speaks to those that are not in Christ.

Debate.

According to the great theologian, Jeff Foxworthy, that is what you use to catch fish, de bate.

.....peace.....

Yeah, I am with you that Christ took care of all the imperfect ACTS that the Jewish people had to/tried to perform to somehow atone. 

Maybe my comment was tinged with a little concern that I've been having lately about this site and ones like it in general - that we're sheltered here, among friends and family in Christ, and not thinking about the lost.

Let's talk hypothetically: Someone unsaved that was to hear this conversation would be confused to say the least:

"Wait, I don't have to do anything (yeah, true to a point) to get to Heaven?  Jesus did it all, so I'm good...well, I'm just gonna keep living the way I am.  And look, I don't have to worry about  all of the Bible - just the parts that say Jesus took care of it so I'm good to go.  Now why do some of them tell me I'm going to hell without Jesus?"

My heart at this time of year is heavy with thoughts of those that are unsaved, that aren't reached out to, that have been incorrectly spoken to about what Jesus did for us, and why we celebrate His birth at this time.

If someone talks about this without EMPHASIZING that in the law, without Christ, we were DEAD - condemned by our sin, then the fact that no action of ours - and ONLY the sacrifice of Christ - can save us is downplayed.  It was a BIG DEAL (to say the least) that Christ came to earth in human form and died and rose for us! 

Not saying that...though I appreciate the analogy.  What I'm saying is this:

Humanity is guilty of breaking God's Law.  Correct?

What is the just punishment for that?  Hell.

How do you avoid that punishment?  Not through any act, save one - accepting and putting on Christ as Lord and Savior - as He was the only one that could DO something to atone for the sins.

Let me put it this way - how do you talk to someone that is unsaved?   Do you tell them that no act of their own can make up for their offenses to God?  Well, how do you IDENTIFY what those offenses are?  If you don't use the LAW (God's word), then you'll get into a "I'm not a killer, a rapist, a murderer, I'm not as bad as THAT guy" kinda debate.  You HAVE to reference the law when telling people why they need a savior - that being 'better than" the other guy doesn't cut it - they have to live up to God's standards.  

So, coming full circle, my issue was with you saying you could throw out the OLD Testament in light of Jesus.  Sure, it's fine for us that are saved - we GET why the Law is powerless (Dead) to us...but those that are not saved need to be convinced  - convicted before they can understand the need for a Savior.

I wish there was a message board/chat option on here ,so we could take this out of this blog post.

God’s expectation… perfection. Anything less would amount to favoritism, differing standards for different people. This would not be a just or righteous God!

Wow!  That is excellent. 

(Verse 8) I will obey your decrees; do not utterly forsake me.

I don't know if this has been mentioned before.  I'd like to talk about the "do not utterly forsake me." part.

I think Verse 8 points out the need to be absolutely dependant on God to obey Him.  I used to pray "God, help me so I don't ....", "Jesus, give me the strength to ...".  I didn't realize it at the time, but what I was really praying for was that God change me so I didn't have to depend on Him.  What I was asking was a very proud thing: that He make me "whatever" enough to not need Him.

The only victory I've experienced in my life is when I depend on Him.  I can't be changed enough to be independant of God to live a righteous life.

Mike, I'm with you and your heart after God!  My daily prayer is create in me a clean heart oh God!  I know Tropical, God sees me with a clean heart because He sees Christ in me, but my heart wants to know Him more each day and that is why I pray for a clean heart each day.

peace

ps the only problem with the chat thing is those of us who happen upon the discussion a day late and a dollar short miss out on some good discussion.  Mike you always generate some good discussion.

Mike,

I can honestly say that there are too many comments for me to read them all right now, but after reading your blog and your add on, I see what you are trying to say.  To me, Salvation is just part of Walking with God.  I know that I am far too messed up to be considered as an Enoch (one who walked with God to the point where God had to take him from this earth), but I believe that through Salvation through Christ, I may be able to one day hear our King say "Well Done My Good And Faithful Child."

Jeremy

Mike,

Great Post! I agree with your love for the OT (as well as the new...). For me the OT really sheds alot of light on the new.

Couple of thoughts, in relation to Tropical's posts:

To me the bible is meant to be learned and studied in full, not just half of it. The OT is filled with insight and perspective about Christianity. In that light Jesus said he came to fullfill the law not to abolish it. He didn't make a distiniction between born again Christians and Jews...  To me Jesus was pointing out that the law and everything that God originally intended had a divine purpose...  God didn't make a mistake and then change plans mid stream, Jesus came because it was a part of the original plan, a plan that had been revealed and is still being revealed as needed thoughout time. As noted in John "The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it." Remember also it isn't over yet, the Angel and the small scroll in the book of Revelations proves this... 

To me the idea that Christianity didn't start until Christ died for us isn't really an accurate picture of what actually happend and what Chrisitanity actually is.

I say this because, if Christianity didn't start until Christ died on the Cross, why did Jesus say this to Daniel? "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them."

Jesus said this BEFORE he died on the cross.  

Also didn't David call Christ Lord? Jesus said: "He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?"

IF David wasn't a Christian, why did he call Christ Lord? 

Jesus also said this about OT prophecy: "It is written in the Prophets: 'They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me."

To me the real requirements of the OT are the same as the NT:

The 613 Laws of the OT can be summed up by the Ten Commandments, the first four dealing with the Love of God and the last six dealing with the Love of People. Which Jesus verified for us in the NT can be summed up as: 

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

and to

"Love thy neighbor as thy self." 

My point here is that Jesus and Christianity is eternal it has always been here and always will be here (John 1:1).  The Jesus was with us from the first time the word God was mentioned in the bible when it said "In the Beginning God"

The cross and the atonement happened at Jesus' death, but they were the purpose of the OT and have been in the plan since the beginning, so all people who believe in God and those who do their best to follow his commandments will be saved. Not just those born again, after his death on the cross.

I don't beleive time applies to God, he operates independent of it... and the things that are true for us are true for those in the past as well as the future.

Just my two cents. I could be wrong.

Cheers and God Bless