Where's Worth?

“What’s this diamond worth?” he asked the salesperson.

“Well, it all depends,” came the reply.

“Depends on what?” he asked as though the salesperson was playing a game with him.

“Many different things,” he responded. “Its size and weight, its cut and clarity to begin with. But in the end, its worth depends on what you would pay for it.”

Worth is a purely personal thing. And the more desire we have for some “thing,” the more we are willing to give something up for it or make a sacrifice to get it.

This section of Psalm 119 is very interesting. Its author has a burning desire to have a close relationship with God. His desire for this relationship is very clear: “Teach me...give me...direct me...turn my heart...” are pleas he makes to God to enable him to “live” God’s “words” in his life. He speaks of God’s decrees, His laws, His commands, and His statutes. And, then he adds one very profound statement: “Turn my eyes away from worthless things, preserve my life according to Your word.” He realized the fact that his eyes were the gateway into his mind and that the things he looked at were the things that could draw him away from God’s Word and turn his attention to things that are worthless and most often destructive.

Someone has wisely said that “What the eyes do not see, the heart does not crave. But what the eyes admire, the heart desires.”

Prayer:  Help us, Heavenly Father, to keep our mind on Your words and our eyes focused on things above. Help us set our priorities and hold them faithfully. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scripture For Today: Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Psalm 119:36

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