Conclusion: At the Heart of It All

Controlling what You Can
in this Uncontrollable World

Part 10

Conclusion: At the Heart of It All

We’ve walked through David’s exhortation in Psalm 37 for controlling what you, and you alone, can control in the craziness of life.

Only you can control:

Your Foundation: the LORD is in Control
Your Focus: Fret not. Trust in the LORD
Your Actions: Do Good
Your Mindset: Dwell in the Land
Your Thoughts: Feed on the LORD’s Faithfulness
Where You Seek Happiness: Delight in the LORD
Where You Entrust Your Life: Commit Your Way to the LORD
Your Patience: Be Still…and Wait Patiently for the LORD
Your reactions: Refrain from Anger

These challenges are simply stated, but they’re not easily practiced. It’s wrought with difficult choices, and our flesh often wants to stiffen in resistance. But it IS ALL about choices. You do have control over these elements of your life. When you choose to align yourself with these truths, you will thrive in the craziness and you will shine God’s glory and goodness. These truths are areas that God is graciously teaching me and He must continually whisper in my heart along the way. I have not perfected this list. I’m striving for progress, not perfection. When I live in these truths, I walk in peace. When I don’t, I feel overwhelmed by the elements I cannot control. I hope, like me, you’ll strive for progress in these areas.

As David nears the conclusion of Psalm 37, he hits a very vital truth that, again, only rests in your control. The key component to a life of righteousness is filling your heart with the Word of God.

Speaking of the Righteous – “The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.” Psalm 37:31

We MUST get in God’s Word and fill our hearts with it. It doesn’t happen by osmosis. It’s not enough to get a dose on Sunday from your Pastor. It’s really not even enough to get a spoon-sized bite from a quickie devotional book —one or two verses and a paragraph of explanation. That might be good for a pep talk, but it’s not the meat you need to really know God and walk in His truths.

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to Your Word. With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments.” Psalm 119:9,10

“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us to His own glory and excellence,” 2 Peter 1:3

You have all that you need for life and godliness through the knowledge of HIM! I plead and beg you to get in your Bible and know it! I fear we have a culture of Believers that know about God, but don’t really KNOW God. They’re well versed in Bible stories, but don’t know how the Word of God works in their own life. This breaks my heart, and surely breaks the heart of God. Without His Word, we live in the same darkness we did as unbelievers struggling with the difficulties of life without answers or hope. It doesn’t have to be this way. You need to have God’s Word in your heart. The world needs to see the truth of God’s glorious gospel beaming from our lives as we live out His Word. 

God wants to walk with you. He wants a relationship with you that expands passed a religious service and involves your heart on a daily basis. Will you strive to have the Word of God fill your heart?

This week, make it a priority to spend time in God’s Word. 

Here are some ideas:

Choose a book of the Bible (I suggest you start in the New Testament). Grab a pen and underline truths you find. Use a notebook to record the truths you’re learning and striving to apply to your life. I have a downloadable sheet on the homepage of www.BrightCornerStudio.com that you can print to begin recording these truths, if you’d like. 

Get a Harmony of the Gospels and soak in the life of Christ as you see all the writers accounts in chronological order. Then dive into the Pauline epistles for more hope and exhortation.

Whatever you decide—just start reading! Fill your heart with the Word of God. We cannot trust what we do not know.

You can thrive in this crazy world when your heart is filled with the Word of God!