No good
Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
I'm memorizing Psalm 16. And already these life-giving words are feeding my soul. I'm learning that I need nuggets of truth I can chew on in the midst of life's daily irks and challenges. I need truth to seep into my soul, so that in those moments, I am reminded quickly of where my hope truly is found.
Do I really believe that I have no good apart from Christ? The ESV study Bible says regarding this verse that "our soul's well being is found in Christ."
I need to take this farther, to think about this more deeply. So my soul's well being is not found in who has liked my facebook status today. Not in what friends have pursued me and reached out to me. My soul's well-being is not found in the depth and quality of my quiet time, as important as that time is. It's not found in how ardent my love is for Christ on this particular morning. And it's definitely not found in how well my morning routine has gone. Did I work out? Is my house clean? The list of questions can go on endlessly. I often can do this little internal self-inventory, seeking to arrive at a place of peace. But it is a peace that is not genuine and lasting. For I'm clinging to transitory, earthly things. My good works. My reputation. Myself. Me. I.
Oh see, these are the bite-sized truths that I need to have emblazened on my soul in those moments. Those moments where I'm subconsciously doing the self-inventory thing I know so well, seeking to find peace and rest in myself. In those moments, truth speaks to me. It says Soul, you have no good apart from Christ. Period. And the Gospel washes over me once again. Finding rest in my Savior and what He has done, peace floods my heart and the striving ceases. Sweet rest in Christ alone.
This is why Scripture must have a central place in my life. I simply can't survive without truth permeating my very being. No good apart from Christ.
I'm memorizing Psalm 16. And already these life-giving words are feeding my soul. I'm learning that I need nuggets of truth I can chew on in the midst of life's daily irks and challenges. I need truth to seep into my soul, so that in those moments, I am reminded quickly of where my hope truly is found.
Do I really believe that I have no good apart from Christ? The ESV study Bible says regarding this verse that "our soul's well being is found in Christ."
I need to take this farther, to think about this more deeply. So my soul's well being is not found in who has liked my facebook status today. Not in what friends have pursued me and reached out to me. My soul's well-being is not found in the depth and quality of my quiet time, as important as that time is. It's not found in how ardent my love is for Christ on this particular morning. And it's definitely not found in how well my morning routine has gone. Did I work out? Is my house clean? The list of questions can go on endlessly. I often can do this little internal self-inventory, seeking to arrive at a place of peace. But it is a peace that is not genuine and lasting. For I'm clinging to transitory, earthly things. My good works. My reputation. Myself. Me. I.
Oh see, these are the bite-sized truths that I need to have emblazened on my soul in those moments. Those moments where I'm subconsciously doing the self-inventory thing I know so well, seeking to find peace and rest in myself. In those moments, truth speaks to me. It says Soul, you have no good apart from Christ. Period. And the Gospel washes over me once again. Finding rest in my Savior and what He has done, peace floods my heart and the striving ceases. Sweet rest in Christ alone.
This is why Scripture must have a central place in my life. I simply can't survive without truth permeating my very being. No good apart from Christ.
Comments