What's your "rather than"?

I'm reading through the Bible this year (which I think I've said on this blog before, but I don't want to take the time to make sure), and right now I'm in the Psalms. I'm actually a few days ahead (I'm supposed to read 3 1/2 pages each day, but I usually stretch it to at least 4), so I got to read Psalm 116-119 today. There were TONS of verses that really hit me today, especially in 119, but I want to highlight one verse:

Give me a desire for your rules, rather than for wealth gained unjustly. (vs. 36, NET Bible)

While the whole of Psalm 119 seems to echo this sentiment, the "wealth gained unjustly" jumped out at me. Not because I struggle with gaining worldly wealth through disingenuous means. Rather it stood out BECAUSE I don't struggle with that. My weak areas are very different than that.

And that's when it hit me. Perhaps the author was envious of the wealth he saw others have, and he longed for the riches of this world, so much that he was tempted to find ways of attaining it, even if those methods were slightly unethical. And so the author had to express to God his desire to live "for your rules" rather than the area of weakness and temptation in his life.

What's your "rather than"? Perhaps it is money like the author of Psalm 119. Perhaps it is leisure activities. Perhaps it is personal advancement in your career. Perhaps it is food, or sex, or drink, or any number of things that can be good on the surface, but they creep into your character and thinking, becoming an idol - something that replaces God as the one you long for and give your worship towards.

As I prayed about my "rather than", I realized I seem to regularly need to give God these areas of my life. Some days I don't feel the need to say this prayer because God truly is first in my heart, mind, and affections. But other days, to be honest, God doesn't just slip to 2nd on the list - he often becomes 4th or 5th. And that's when I need to fall before the Cross of Christ yet again - not for my salvation, but for my continued sanctification - to allow the grace that saved me from my sins to continue to work that same purpose out in my life.

So not only do I encourage you to identify your "rather than", but to daily submit that area of temptation and weakness to the Father, humbly relying on the power of His Holy Spirit (the one who began a good work in you) to perfect his work in you until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6).

By the way, as I just reread through my post before publishing it, I realized that this probably all sounds quite strange to someone who doesn't have a relationship with Jesus and thinks the cross is just something talked about at Easter time as some event in history. So if you aren't a follow of Christ, realize that this post probably isn't going to connect with you (I dropped a LOT of Christianese in this post - something I try to not do too much). But if you find yourself longing to understand what I am talking about, please contact me - I'd love to talk with you about Jesus and what it means to live in grace.