ENJOYING THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE

BIBLE PASSAGE:
I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” 
(Psalm 16:2)

MEDITATION:
We hear it way too often, don’t we?
People telling us that they “just can’t get it together”.
Trouble just has a way of seeking them out.
What could possibly be the ‘missing element’ in their lives?

The Psalmist zeroed in on the ‘key’ to ‘good things’ in our lives.
It is a close relationship with the Lord.
Too many want to have a partial relationship with the Lord 
in hopes that they will receive 100% of His blessings.

Is that how life works?
If we have partial work ethics and efforts, 
can we expect a bonus or sizeable salary increase from our employer?
There are some situations where we might go over and above 
what is expected of us and we are not compensated fairly for our efforts. 
But, for the most part, our commitment level affects our rewards.

Our God loves us unconditionally and wants us to have His best.
He created us in His image so that we would have 
the capacity to love Him unconditionally as well. 
Loving unconditionally does not mean that we modify God’s righteousness 
to fit our lifestyle, but we conform our lifestyle to fit His desires for us.
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your 
old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made 
new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to 
be like God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

We want God’s blessings, 
but many fail in ‘putting off the old self’ and ‘putting on the new self’.
Our ‘old self’ steers us toward partial commitments to the Lord.
We might join with other worshippers occasionally to ease our conscience 
for having a lack of total commitment, but we fall short of proving to the 
Lord that our desire is to have a close relationship with Him, and to enjoy 
His blessings (or as the Psalmist phrased it, His ‘good things’).

The Psalmist was aware of the perils of sharing God with other gods.
Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more. I will not pour 
out libations of blood to such gods or take up their names on my lips. 
(Psalm 16:4)
Some say, “I have no other gods”, but is that true?
Anything that takes the place of worshipping the Lord 
is in effect, another god.
We dilute our relationship with Him when we choose to substitute other 
things for going to His house to worship Him with other believers.

ACTION:
What kind of relationship do you have with the Lord?
Take a brief look at the kind of fellowship the Psalmist had with the Lord.
LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot secure.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have 
a delightful inheritance. I will praise the LORD, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me. I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:5-8)

Have you been trying to exchange a partial commitment for His complete blessings?
Notice how the Psalmist said there are no boundaries 
preventing him from entering pleasant places.
The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
You can also see that his commitment to Lord was 24/7.
I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.

If you want to have ‘good things’ in your life, 
then stop trying to find them while excluding the Lord. 
Rather than making it difficult, 
simplify your efforts by pursuing a close relationship with the Lord. 
Jesus gives us a simple command for discovering the good things in life.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, 
and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33)

Will that mean the end of troubles?
The answer is, we live in a sinful environment, 
so problems can arise at any time, however 
one of the ‘good things’ from the Lord is a capacity to cope with them.
When the Psalmist said, “I will not be shaken”, we can assume 
that he said this because he also encountered troublesome times. 
In fact, when we read the scriptures, 
we KNOW that he had problems, even within his own family.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, forgive me for failing to be totally committed to You. 
After reading Your Word, I now realize that for me to receive good 
things from You, I need to keep my eyes always on You. Help me to 
reignite the desire to be close to You that I had when I first received 
Your salvation. Remind me often of Your blessings and how You deserve my 
praise and worship. Create in me a heart for loving You above everything
else, and for loving others in the same manner that You love me.”

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