Psalm 116:15
Food for Thought
An all-creatures.org Guide to Kingdom Living

By Marni Montanez

Psalm 116:15

New King James Version (NKJV)

15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.

The psalmist is not talking about the death of our bodies, but instead he is talking about the death of our self-will.

In the heart of this verse there is a clear message of God’s wisdom.  It is obvious that He understands the outcome of one who is dead.  Our death, as Christians, is a brokenness that is final and deep.  There is no resurrection for this death of our carnal nature and of our own will.

Think about it, the dead do not fight back nor do they rebel. They are compliant and easily moved.   This is so for the believer who has been broken and shattered enough so that nothing, not even the “self” hinders an intimate relationship of humility.  To be dead to ourselves is to discover the place of freedom.  There is no freedom like that which is naked and raw, unleashed from internal fears and worries.  In this freedom of brokenness there is no need to protect our selfish wants and desires. God’s desires become our own and He protects them within us.

God wants us in a place of receiving and we cannot readily receive when we are trying to get.  There must be a releasing of ourselves and what we so desperately hold onto; internally and externally.

So He waits and waits until we have exhausted all of our own human efforts to make things happen or get what we want. He stands watching as we are crushed under the weight of pride, fears and worldliness we have been unable to release.  It is in this exhaustion where we find ourselves without any choice but to let go.  This is when we can really breathe. We breathe in the fresh air of peace as we empty ourselves of self-imposed rules, and choices that have kept us in bondage.  In our death we are renewed, refreshed and free. We are then able to live the life Christ died to give us.

Challenge:  Inquire of the Lord about those things you harbor. Determine in your heart to purposely let go of things He shows you that don’t belong there anymore.

God bless

Marni   

Go on to: Psalm 118:1 - God's Mercy
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The purpose of this series is to encourage people to live as loving, compassionate, and peacemaking children of God: Jesus tells us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." (Matthew 6:10) God tells us through Micah (6:8), "He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justice, to love kindness, And to walk humbly with your God." And we know from Revelation 21:4 that there will be no more mourning, or crying, or pain, or death. Thus, Christian living requires us to set the standards of these conditions here on earth for our fellow human beings, and for the other animals, as a witness to the rest of the world. To do otherwise is not Christian.