Bottom line up front: Consistency is key.

Illustration: When I was earning my B.A. and M.A. in English many moons ago, I worked many jobs to put myself through school in those years. One of my jobs was as a carpenter’s assistant. Though I am not naturally gifted in carpentry, I have a deep respect for carpentry. I learned a great deal about the craft in those years. One of the blessings that came my way during those years was being an assistant to a master carpenter named Lyman. Lyman had a long, silver, grizzly beard, and he sipped coffee all day long from his large, very dented, very worn Stanley thermos. He wore suspenders and a button shirt, and he carried a thick carpenter’s pencil in his right breast pocket. He wore faded and worn jeans, and he always wore suspenders over his button shirt. He rolled his own cigarettes from a tin of tobacco. When he rolled his cigarettes, he always knew I’d be watching him. Though I have never been a smoker, I was mesmerized by the smoothness and grace with which he rolled the tobacco into the papers, licked the cig quickly, lit it with his Zippo, and enjoyed his time during our breaks. Lyman was as consistent and faithful in his work, his craft of carpentry, and in his dedication as any man I’ve ever known. When I look back on those years now, I’m amazed how many years have gone by, and by how much Lyman impacted me. He was truly a remarkable (and remarkably consistent) man.

Context: Psalm 119 is an acrostic poem of 22 letters, each section beginning with the subsequent letter of the Hebrew alphabet. As a whole, the psalm is a psalm of praise; it praises God’s Word and God’s law. The psalm, quite lengthy by standards of Hebrew poetry, is comprised of 176 verses.

Text: “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law” (Psalm 119:113, ESV).

Takeaway/encouragement: What does my old buddy Lyman have to do with Psalm 119:113? Much. Lyman was consistent. You could set your clock by him if you’d had to. When the sun was up, or if weather permitted him (and us) to work in carpentry at all on workdays, he’d be there. He’d measure, cut, nail, stand up walls, lay on the level, snap the chalk line, and we’d nail some more. He’d roll his cigs and enjoy his smoke. He’d sip coffee from his old Stanley thermos. He was single-minded in his dedication, calling/purpose. He was consistent. What a testimony. God says in Psalm 119:133 that he hates double-mindedness. Many people mislabel God as a soft Santa Claus-like figure who dispenses joys and trinkets for spiritual infants, but that’s not the God of Scripture. Here, God says that he “hates.” And one of the things he hates is “the double-minded.” All the psalmist is teaching is that God loves and awards those who labor (Lyman-like) in their obedience to his (God’s) law and Word. Simple. Not easy, but simple.