Paths of Righteousness

Psalm 119:9-16

Psalm 119

Stay on the Path of Purity?

Psalm 23:3 – He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake

Psalm 119:9 – How do we stay on path of purity?

“Living according to your Word”What does that look like?

Handily, Psalm 119 tells us…

Three Components

#1 – Heart“I seek you with all of my heart”Seeking God is an act of the heartNot straying from his commands is not about

“obeying the rules” but rather choosing to follow

“Hidden your word in my heart”

Three Components

Our heart is our desire – not so much passion (romance) but rather will

So the Psalmist is saying – “Desire to follow God”

Hide his Word in our hearts so as not to sinIf we know what God’s will is, we know what to doYou can’t pass the exam if you don’t study the course

material

Do we desire to follow God?

Three Components

#2 – Actions“Praise be to you LORD”“With my lips I recount all the laws”“I rejoice in following your statutes”

A heart that desires to follow God turns thoughts into actions

Three Components

“Praise be to you LORD”Worship

“With my lips I recount all the laws”Teaching / Learning

“I rejoice in following your statutes”Holy Living

Three Components

#3 – Contemplation“I meditate on your precepts and consider your

ways”We reflect on what we have learnt and doneWe inquire what it means, what God is calling us

to next

Blockages?

#1 – HeartWe do not love because we feel like it, we love

because we choose toIt is an act of the willIf you sometimes don’t feel like placing God at the

centre of your heart, welcome to the experience of the rest of the Church!

Often greatest advances come when we choose to follow God despite our state

Blockages?

#2 – ActionsOften struggle because we do not value all three

of the components of Christian life or place restrictions on them

Worship – We want it the way we likeTeaching – We don’t want to challenge ourselvesHoly Living - Our sinful desires often come into

conflict with doing the holy thingSometimes there is a price to be paid

Blockages?

Worship

TeachingHoly Living

Blockages?

#3 – Contemplation / ReflectionDone in community and individuallyHome GroupsOne on OneBlogs – share experiencesFacebookAsk for help!

Delight in Your Decrees

God stirs our hearts to desire him – he calls us to exercise our will

God places in us a desire to worship him, learn of him and live for him

God calls us to be in relationship with him, to learn and to see what he is doing