Revive Me

Revive Me

5 of 22 from Psalm 119

Psalms 119:33-40  HE. Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.  (34)  Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.  (35)  Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.  (36)  Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.  (37)  Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.  (38)  Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.  (39)  Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.  (40)  Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

            Reader, as we start this study, I have a need to define three words used within this text.  The first is “vanity” which means, “anything worthless, of no value.”  The next word is “quicken” which means, “to restore or revive to a former condition.”  The last word is “fear.” We have two usages and two definitions.  The usage in (v 37) means “to reverence morally.”  The other usage of “fear” used in (v 39) means “to fear, to be afraid.”  With these definitions in mind, the context of this Devotion can be settled.

            In all these verses, our Psalmist is begging God to change him.  He wants to be as he once had been.  (Now he is asking for Revival.)  My notion is that the Psalmist may have determined he had backslidden to some degree and was desirous of returning (being revived) to his previous way.

            What we need to comprehend is that neither God nor His Son Jesus will make us change.  By The Cross, God has provided a way to Him for each man, woman, and child.  (He sent His Son to The Cross, to bleed and die for the sins of ALL humanity.)

            Yet, many seem to apply a notion that “if they are good,” and “do many good works in His name,” salvation will be given.  

Matthew 7:21-23  Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.  (22)  Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?  (23)  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

God teaches through His “[E]Stablish[ed] Word,” The King James Bible, that we as individuals must decide through conviction that we are desirous of being a Christian.  He will help us, but in order to be a Christian we and we alone must decide He is what we want.

            So many of us use the old saying coined by Flip Wilson many years ago, “The Devil Made Me Do It.”  No, the devil didn’t.  You and I make the decision to sin.  (I cannot say God made me become a Christian, yet I know when I finally decided to accept Him, He readily accepted me, (this wretched old fool, into His Loving Arms.)

            Jesus came to earth as a man for only one purpose, and that was to save the lost sinner from his sin and an inevitable hell.

Luke 19:9-10  And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.  (10)  For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

In order to “Revive” in a spiritual sense, we must have been “Vive[d]” at one time.  (Vive = lively, in the Lord, to have previously known.)

            In your lifetime, if you cannot say, “I have accepted Jesus Christ as my Personal Saviour,” you are not a candidate for “Revival.”  We must believe He (Jesus) is the Son of God, and that God has raised Him from the grave.  Without that belief, at some point you will hear, “I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”

Romans 10:9-13  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  (10)  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  (11)  For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (12)  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

            Accept Him today in simple, honest, sincere belief.

Bro John R. E Chastain

Retired Pastor

Wylie, Texas

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