Psalm 119:57-64, HCSB
The phrase "You are my portion, Lord" struck me while reading this passage. If we agree that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever, we can find few passages in Scripture that declare the point so concisely and passionately. Choosing the Lord as our portion means that we refuse or decline the priorities of the culture that surrounds us--money, fame, security, popularity, and so on. Such perspective inevitably leads to persecution from the culture which we reject, a point which the psalmist clearly understands.
"Being a good Christian" is not solely or even primarily about checking off boxes on a religious list. It is first and foremost, today and as it ever was, about loving God with all our soul, body, and mind. Good works will inevitably follow a legitimate love of God, but those works are the fruit rather than the root.
Let us reexamine what we are claiming as our portion as we start our week. If we find our goals to be anything other than glorifying God and enjoying Him, let us consider the value of those other things according to the scales of Scripture and pray the Lord will adjust our desires to agree with His Word.
