What does your heart go after? What does your heart desire?

Our hearts naturally desire abundance, ease, and security. Indeed, the candidates for various offices in this fall’s election all tried to attract our votes by claiming that they – and not their opponents – would be best for our pocketbooks. And such appeals work.

The psalmist warns us against these natural desires:

Psalm 119:36 Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!

There is an inherent trade-off between having a heart inclined toward God and His Word, and a heart inclined toward the things of this world. The two are like oil and water. They may be mixed for a brief period of time, as the Holy Spirit works within us. But in the end, one will come out on top.

Don’t weaken this warning by focusing on the word “selfish,” saying, “I can incline my heart to God’s testimonies and to gain – as long as that gain is not selfish.” One Hebrew word is translated “selfish gain.” Note that this word need not have a negative connotation; it is used on occasion to refer to gain by God, as in Job 22:3: “Is it gain to [the Almighty] if you make your ways blameless?”

In addition, don’t weaken this warning by thinking of gain solely in material terms. Different ones of us face different types of temptation to earthly gain. For some, the temptation is to money and possessions; for another, respect and a good reputation; for a third, security and rest; for a fourth, excitement and success. Every one of these potential sources of gain is dangerous.

So the emphasis in Psalm 119:36 is not on the particular type of gain. Every type of gain can be problematic. Instead, the emphasis in this verse is on the inclination of the heart. Does your heart see gain in this world as its chief good, its chief aim, its ultimate goal? Or does your heart see God’s revelation of Himself in His Word as its chief good?

God is the source of all goodness. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father” (James 1:17). Whatever we have, from material possessions to family to success to life itself, we have only because of His grace (Acts 17:25). Since even the ability to work and earn money is from Him (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), we can never say, “I worked hard for this possessions – therefore I deserve them!”

But the psalmist is not calling us to unending sacrifice, without benefit. As God inclines our hearts toward Him and His Word, as He removes their natural inclination toward worldly gain, we find true joy, true life. For the psalmist says in the next verse:

Psalm 119:37 Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.

These supposed forms of gain are ultimately worthless. They are vain. They are ephemeral. They look so important, so vital, so substantial and then – poof! – they are gone. But there is life in God’s ways, in following His Word. True joy is found only in God – and we find God solely through trusting Christ Jesus.

God may choose to grant you great worldly success. He may choose to grant you wonderful accomplishments, so that you receive the accolades of millions. He may choose to grant you a life filled with loss, sorrow, and seeming irrelevance. But if your heart is inclined toward His Word, if He Himself is the desire of your heart, then you will be rich indeed – and you will have a truly great gain (1 Timothy 6:6).

Note also that this is not a one-time decision. The psalmist doesn’t sit down one day and say, “OK, from now on my heart will be inclined towards God’s Word!” Instead, he looks at the natural inclinations of his heart, doesn’t like what he sees, and asks God to change him: “Lord, only You can change the inclinations of this heart of mine. Unless you work, today my heart will long after vain things. So do the work! Change me, today, into one who longs for Your Word!” And then the next day, he prays the same prayer.

Will you join him in that prayer? Will you ask God to incline your heart toward His Word? Will you put Him first?

O Lord, “incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain.”