Incline My Heart

 “Turn my heart toward your statutes
    and not toward selfish gain.”

Psalm 119:36

Hi I’m Joni Eareckson Tada. You know as followers of Christ there is no end of things we should do or ought to do or must do. There are commands we should cherish goals we should embrace, attitudes we ought to cultivate but sadly in our flesh we may not have any real desire to do these things at all.

For a while we might succeed in following a list of shoulds and musts and thou shalts but it’s always done in our own strength for the sake of duty and that will never last. What’s really sad, it won’t please God. But Psalm 119 verse 36 has the remedy. The psalmist says to God turn my heart, it’s a matter of the heart. Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Boy, that is such great news. Your heart can change.

The Holy Spirit can turn it can literally alter it’s direction. The Spirit within you will give you the desire to do God’s will. He will supply the want to which is far, far more compelling than I have to. So today ask God to give you the desire to please Him. The desire to put others first. The desire to pray and read His word. Goodness, you couldn’t even follow Jesus unless He gave you the want to, the desire to and He has. So turn your heart toward Him and happily obey His commands.