Every day our thoughts, focus, and heart lead us toward cementing old habits or creating new ones. There is no coasting through. We are consistently practicing something. That is a sobering thought. Psalm 90:14 says, “Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” This verse in Psalm has resonated in my heart. Each day I must set my mind to be satiated by God’s love and affirm the good habits I have already set in place. The bad ones that have taken root, need to be displaced. In areas where a routine of accountability, scripture reading, and prayer have revealed where further transformation is needed, I must set my sights on submitting to that change.
I certainly have those days when I want to sink into myself. I would rather lazily rest in self-indulgent, self-centered behaviors than put forth the effort to renew my mind or spend quiet time with the Lord. To quote my toddler, “I just can’t with all that”. Right now it looks a lot like comparing myself to the Instagram standard and accomplishing shallows goals. It seems far more rewarding to search for value in my own ability than seeing my worth through Christ. Do you see all the self-focused talk? I assure you, it is problematic. Looking back at that verse in Psalm , it is important to note God satisfies. He is to be my foundation and my fountain. The truth is, I can always seek Him and will be fulfilled by my pursuit. Of further importance is that in those moments I am drawn to selfishness, I need to do those things all the more.
Paul urges Timothy and us, in 1 Timothy 4:15 to “practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.” We are to be growing in the richness of Christ-like behaviors, for the benefit of others. Yes, we will be blessed too, but we already have Christ. Our access to God’s grace and love makes the obligation to live holy null and void. We are rather introduced to a new standard of living in which our gratitude toward God for imputing holiness in our lives results in a desire to display Him to others. There isn’t some eternal consequence for me not to, but I can’t say the same for those around me could be led or dissuaded from Christ based on my actions.
There are also days, I wake up in the mood to praise. I am engulfed in my delight of God and His love for me. I don’t want to deal with negativity, gossip or anything that would threaten my spiritual “high”. On those days I can find myself quickly annoyed with those around me who may be struggling to see the same greatness of God I am wrapped up in. At times in this enthusiasm, I can overwhelm those around me. Rather than listening and meeting the needs of others, I push away mature discipleship practices to suckle on the bottle of feel-good Christianity. It is selfish. God wants me to be joyful, but He also wants me to consider my neighbor. “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep,” Romans 12:15 states. None of us should be so blinded by what God is doing in our lives that disregard or overlook others. That is still living in an imbalance of self-focus that doesn’t allow us to find true satisfaction that will be lead to rejoicing all of our days. Psalm 90:14 refers to the “steadfast love” of God. As an aim, this can seem less appealing, however, it is a lasting and consistent state that rests in allowing God’s love, joy, and peace to move through us. It doesn’t need to be protected and defended against those we are called minister to.
“Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14
I am thankful that I am finding myself in the rhythm of this balance seeking satisfaction from God’s steadfast love more often. It is becoming threaded through the lows and highs. Through a natural progression, I am able to be less selfish, because I am not relying on my limited supply to fill my needs.
Daily depending on God to satiate our needs provides an endless fount from which we can be filled and use to fill others. Without this dependence we are unable to submit to the instruction in Philippians 2:3-4, which says, “do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.” Until we have security that God is meeting our needs, selfishness is a natural response. James 3:16 warns, that “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.”
It is time to take stock of our day, of our week even. I have a few application questions for you about where you found yourself this week.
Did indulgence with a lack of drive characterize much of your time?
Were you feeling the need to protect your joy by overshadowing or rejecting those that needed to see Christ in you?
Has there been stability and steadiness of love that has marked your time?
Is this assessment indicative of something abnormal or of habits that you may be forming in your life?
David calls upon God to satisfy him in the morning in Psalm 90:14. The text implies it isn’t once, but on a daily ongoing basis that will never cease. Whether you saw good habits being established even further in your life or negative habits that you want to rid yourself of, I want to encourage you to draw near to God each morning. Let’s anchor the God-honoring behaviors through continued practice and do a little weed-eating where we have been exercising self-interest. God will do the work. We must seek and submit to His portion of steadfast love that will lead to rejoicing and gladness all of our days.