Good, Better, or Best?

 

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word! Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O LORD, and teach me your rules. I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. (Psalm 119:105–112 ESV).

 

There have been times in my life when I needed to choose between good, better, or best. It’s always easy to choose between good and bad, but choosing good, better, or best is difficult. The psalmist in our reading today describes God’s word as a lamp and a light. There is a sense of movement here with the emphasis of the psalmist’s feet on a path. We don’t know where the psalmist is going, but it’s notable that the psalmist doesn’t say, “Your word is a light outside my house.” The picture here is that God’s word guides the believer through life, even in dark spaces where the path is uncertain and potential dangers may lie ahead.

 

This psalm reminds us that God has not left us to figure out life on our own. Rather, God’s word accompanies us, showing us how to live faithfully as God’s people here and now. While our technology, governmental structures, and understandings of the universe are different from when the Bible was written, the commands and the stories of God’s faithful love provided through the Bible help us to see what it can look like to walk in the light of God’s path today.

 

Choosing between good, better, and best involves prioritizing activities and choices that offer the most value, impact, or spiritual growth, recognizing that many good things can consume time needed for truly superior options, like focusing on deep family connection (best) over just scheduled activities (good), or prioritizing essential gospel principles over merely busy work. It's about discernment, understanding that the best choice often strengthens faith, improves lives, and aligns with higher purposes, even if it means letting go of other good but less impactful things. This is the essence of wisdom, which comes from God.

 

As we immerse ourselves in God’s word, we also learn to recognize more fully that Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s word. Jesus was sent not simply to guide us but to be “the way and the truth and the life” (John 14:6) through whom we receive salvation and experience peace with God. He is that Light we need for the journey!