Two gifts from the Lord that are available to every follower of Jesus no matter what they are going through. These two gifts are essential in helping us face the pain of living in a broken and fallen world and fight the temptations that it brings. And without them, we are far weaker and more vulnerable than we should be.
Those two gifts are FREEDOM and JOY.
Joy is a choice; it’s a state of being more than an emotion. The foundation of joy is the promise or assurance of future happiness.
Freedom is not doing whatever you want, but instead it’s repentance of your sin.
Freedom and joy are possible when we embrace the truths of a passage like Psalm 19. In this psalm we see three actions or responses that are essential to living in freedom and joy.
1: Be Amazed by God’s Glory (1-6)
Psalm 19 tells us that God’s glory is so great that His creation never ceases to proclaim it; it is on display every day, every night, all over the world, and to everyone without fail.
2: Be Captivated by God’s Laws (7-11)
David is doing much more simply telling us that God’s laws are good and that we’re better off following them than not. You can hear the delight in his voice over the beauty and goodness and rightness of God’s laws.
3: Be Ruthless with Sin (12-14)
After considering the inexhaustible glory of God in creation, and the perfection and desirability of God’s laws, the psalmist asks three things of the Lord:
- To be declared innocent from hidden faults
- For God’s help to conquer willful sins
- That his words and thoughts, with God’s help, would be pleasing to the Lord
Do not underestimate your ability to minimize or justify your sin.
Takeaway: The Lord is offering you freedom and joy because of Jesus Christ through the gospel.
Psalm 19
