The Lord has taught us His statutes

Posted : 16 Feb, 2013 04:39 AM

PSALM 119:13 With my lips have I declared all the judgments of Your mouth.





We have seen the word hid in the heart: now we see it poured

forth from the lips.The Lord has taught us His statutes; now

we declare these judgments of His mouth. But who can

declare them with unction and power, save those who are

taught of God? Now we are introduced to the high and

honorable privilege of becoming a witness for our Savior! Our

opportunities of service are our talents, and we trade with a

large increase; for "to every one who has shall be given, and

he shall have abundance." But-"our lips are our own"-is the

proud language of the world. Blessed be God; "we know that

we are not our own." Most gladly do we acknowledge, that He, who fashioned our lips, has the best claim to their service.

And when He has added to the claim of creation the right of

purchase, what further constraining can we need, to induce

the consecration of all that we are, and all that we have, to His

glory!

This is a family obligation-to declare the judgments of God's

mouth. Thus did Abraham obtain a blessing for his children.

Heavenly blessings are the gracious reward of thus honoring

our God. This also is the material of our general conversationfruitful in spiritual results. Thus did Andrew bring Peter, and

the woman of Samaria her neighbors, to Jesus. What might

we not do for our fellow-sinners, if our conversation with them

was the overflowing of a heart full of love; guided by a single

desire to glorify our Savior, and to edify His Church! Fearful,

indeed, is the guilt of sinful silence; and those, who thus prove

their unfaithfulness to God, may well tremble at His awful

denunciations. And yet it is possible to be bold in speech for

God, when in the closet, the family, or the world, our

consciences justly convict us of insincerity: "You who teaches

another, do you not teach yourself?" Let us seek, therefore, to

have our hearts "filled with the Spirit"; otherwise ours will be

"the talk of the lips, which tends only to poverty."

This subject illustrates the character of the Lord's people-"The

mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom, and his tongue talks

of judgment;" their resolution-"My mouth shall show forth Your

righteousness and Your salvation all the day; for I know not

the numbers thereof;" their prayer-"O Lord, open my lips, and

my mouth shall show forth Your praise;" their blessing-"The

lips of the righteous feed many. A wholesome tongue is a tree

of life." The example of the Savior, here as everywhere, is our

perfect and encouraging pattern: "I have preached

righteousness in the great congregation; Lo! I have not

refrained My lips, O Lord, You know." In this spirit of their

Master, the Apostles awed their persecutors into forbearance: "We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and

heard."

How sinful is it to employ our lips for any but the Lord! Yet not

less sinful is our reluctance to employ them for Him! Surely

the day, when perhaps we have been fluent in worldly

conversation, and yet have neglected our opportunities of

speaking a word for Him, must be considered a lost day! Is

there not much cause for watchfulness, prayer, and selfdenial; lest our silence should deny Him, whom by every

obligation we are bound to confess? If our inability to bear a

testimony for our Lord is not painful to us, must we not

suspect, if not the sincerity, at least the strength, of our

attachment to His precious name? and we can do no better

than retire into our closets with the prayer of contrition-"Enter not into judgment with Your servant, O Lord."



by

Charles Bridges

Post Reply