Psalm 119:1-8

Psalm 119:1-8 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  I'm sure I've said it here before, but I once heard a preacher say that joy is the flag that you fly in the castle of your heart when the King is at home. 
  The Psalms are a complicated book, a book that is real with the sorrows and joys and trials of real life.  Here, in the beginning of the 119th Psalm, we get a glimpse of the joy of the faithful heart.  It leaps off the page, the contentment that the Psalmist has found after faithfully seeking the Lord.  I haven't used that many exclamation points all year!
  For those of us who are imperfect, there is a temptation to lament our failure to be blameless, but the more important message here is a goal.  To seek to follow God with all of our hearts leads to joy.  The Kingdom of God, where sin will be banished, will be a place of joy, of wonder, of rejoicing. 
  There is sacrifice in opting to follow Jesus' selfless example, but this is what it leads to -- joy and wonder!  So choose faithfulness, and know that the ultimate reward is far greater than any short term cost.