ELOGOS for Wednesday

​Psalm 119:1-3
Happy are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Happy are those who keep his decrees, who seek him with their whole heart,
who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways.
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Some of the beauty and the cleverness of this psalm is lost in the English translation. In Hebrew, it was written as an acrostic poem with a letter in each verse that represents the Hebrew alphabet. An acrostic is often a teaching tool for children. When teaching children it is important to be clear, uncomplicated. I have a young friend named Elli who is now able to understand and articulate complicated topics, but there was a time when she was a little when she only needed to know two rules: (1) She ask for help before getting water from the refrigerator door (mostly because she let it spill all over the floor) and (2) No excessive whining. After mastering the refrigerator door and the fine art of timing her whining, Elli brilliantly moved on to other life lessons. The challenge with learning rules and being obedient has everything to do with the quality of our relationship with the one who makes the rules. Elli is motivated to honor the household rules because she loves and respects her parents. She is becoming a remarkable person even as she operates beyond the watchful eye of parents. I have always loved the definition of character as who you are when only God is watching. I tremble in fear for the condition of the character of those who act without caring that God is watching. 
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Holy God, let's walk through this day together, shall we? Amen.