His Laws Give Life

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.

(Psalm 119:93)

Before I accepted the free offer of salvation, I didn’t realize it, but my soul was dead. When I repented from my sinful life, I promised to live by God’s direction. God doesn't give me instructions to live by to spoil all my fun. He provides the rules for my own wellbeing and following them gives me a better, safer life.

Some examples of who I was; as a young adult, long before I was saved, I engaged in a promiscuous lifestyle which could have lead to sexually transmitted diseases. I would also steal from my employer because they were a huge corporation and would never miss it. I could have been arrested if I had been caught. My opinions and thoughts about other people were pretty dark. I didn’t really like most of the people I knew. That’s only the tip of the iceberg, so you can see I was not a very good person.

On the outside, I looked like a normal, likable, and good guy. I eventually got married, had children, bought a house, but I still wasn’t happy. Weekend parties became very important to fill the void. I know I wasn’t much of a husband or father back then, which is why my wife left me. It was at that low point in my life where Jesus found me. He reached down into the sewer of despair I was in, and he lifted me out. He gave me a new life and a new purpose.

The Lord doesn’t only want to protect my physical welfare. His guidelines are for my spiritual health as well. Any kind of meaningful relationship was impossible for me because I was never with anyone long enough to form a bond. I was trying to fill the emptiness in my heart with my next sexual conquest. I thought I was having a good time. I was doing what everyone else was doing. I bought the lie that there was nothing wrong with my lifestyle. Now that I know Jesus, I know I was only a shell of a whole person, completely dead on the inside.

Life without Christ’s precepts is like a raised walkway without guardrails. It will eventually lead to a fall into the abyss below you. If the guardrails were there, you wouldn’t fall and die. They would be there to keep you safe. In reality, that’s exactly what’s going on. A raised walkway with guardrails is like a righteous walk with Christ, we are safe there. Walking through life without the guardrails is deadly and will lead you to hell. God’s guidelines make our lives safer while we’re here and saves our souls for eternity!

Father God, you are as pure and good as anything can be. When we are born again we endeavor to follow Jesus. The only way we can do that is to know and follow your rules and guidelines. Don’t let us listen to those who tell us your laws are old fashioned and not for these times. You did not hand down your laws to make sure we would no longer have any fun. They are in place for two reasons. First, to bring you glory. Your laws, when we follow them, make us better people. We become upright people in our churches, upstanding people in our communities, and outstanding citizens of our nations. When we practice those things, the world notices and we bring glory to you. Secondly, they save our lives. Our lives are full of sinful things that could cause us great harm. Both to our physical bodies as well as our souls. Remembering your precepts is the best way to live a long and healthy life, followed by eternity with you in paradise. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!