Psalm 119:57 "Thou art my portion, O LORD: I have said that I would keep thy words."
What's your favorite food? What's your favorite thing to do? Who is your
favorite person to be around? Time or space is not important if you are
doing something that you really enjoy or spending time with someone that you
really enjoy being in their presence. In fact, you want more and more. You
probably have something or someone in mind just now if you answered those first
questions. Memories pop into your mind as you think of that activity or
that person. You remember where and when you were participating in that
activity. Or you remember where and when you were in the presence of that
person and words that came to mind. You remember how they look and what
they said and how they acted.
You might ask, "What do all those questions have to do with our text verse
today?" I'm glad you asked. The more time you spend doing that
activity or being with that person, the desire to spend more time becomes
apparent. The writer of the Psalm tells us that the LORD is that One that
he wanted to spend more time with. The LORD was the One that he would
spend time remembering the words that were spoken. The LORD was the One who
made everything else worthwhile. He spent his time thinking upon the things of
God.
Does that mean that you and I have to stop doing those things which bring joy
and happiness into our lives? Well, first if those things are against the Lord,
then we should stop doing them. But if those things are made even more joyful
when you can share them with the Lord, then He causes our activities and our
relationships to be even more rich and even more filled with joy and
gladness. There is great joy and contentment when we insert our
relationship with God into any and all other relationships. God does not take
away from our joy; rather, He enhances it. Jesus spoke it in this manner,
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these
things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) In other words, if
we put Jesus first in our lives, He will add (increase) those things that make
for right living and peace and joy in our lives.