What Right Do I Have?

"What right have you to declare My statutes, 

Or take My covenant in your mouth, 

Seeing you hate instruction 

And cast My words behind you?"

Psalm 50:16b-17

The Lord is issuing a warning to those of us who desire to claim and proclaim God's Word.  If we are personalizing His promises we also need to be living by His laws. We can't have the fulfillment without the obedience.  We can't enjoy the privilege of the promise without implementing His instruction.

So often we love to find a verse that declares God's goodness to His children in a situation.  We copy it out on index cards.  We write it in journals.  We'll post it on Facebook.  We'll memorize it.  We claim it as ours.  I won't deny, all of God's promises are "yes" in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20) and all of His Word is true, but far too often we find ourselves in a situation where we need to see the Lord move in a miraculous way and suddenly we begin appropriating His Word while living far from Him.  We want God to do His part at no cost to us.

While justifying actions and lifestyle decisions that God does not condone, we still desire Him to bless our endeavors and fulfill His Word.  Stop and ask yourself: Am I walking in His truth in all things?  Is my life pleasing to Him or to me? Do my thoughts, behavior, activities, conversations, movie choices, friendships, etc...reflect Christ's choices? Am I living a surrendered life of self-sacrifice?  Is my goal to please the Lord in all things? Am I spending daily time in His Word and in prayer?  Am I confessing sin and abiding in Him?  Is my life producing fruit with an ever increasing harvest?  Am I waiting on Him and listening for His voice and walking in His way?

God is asking me to search my heart.  I don't want anything standing between my believing and God's fulfilling.