Read Psalm 119:1-16
We tend to be very passionate about things we love, things we are proud of, and things we have strong feelings about. God made us to be passionate people, passionate about Him. When I write this thought I cannot help but wonder what the world would be like if everyone was passionate about Christ, about the gospel and His Word?
As we dive into the study of Psalm 119, with the first sixteen verses we are meeting someone who has extraordinary passion for God and His Word. While we may not know with complete certainty who the author of this Psalm is, we do know he was fervent about God’s Word. It shows the value and importance of the Word of God when the longest Psalm and longest chapter in the Bible is describing how wonderful it is.
The Psalmist in verses 9-11 asks a question we all wonder — how do you live a pure life? KJV uses the word cleanse — how can a person cleanse their way? The word cleanse or pure means clear, clean, innocent. Our ways are not always clear and innocent my friend. Our lives are filled with mess ups, anger, lies, etc., etc. How do we keep all of that from taking over? How do we keep our lives clean amidst the everyday struggle? By living according to His Word (vs. 9). Do you ever look for the answer to a question, and if you find the answer is too easy then you assume it must not be right? We tend to over complicate what God has clearly made so simple — that is not to say living according to His word daily is effortless, but we often look for the answers to be tricky or complicated. When we are living according to His Word we are focused on living for Christ instead of the world.
Are we seeking God with all our hearts? When we sit down with His Word are we looking for a star sticker on our reading chart, a check on a list of things to do or are we seeking God in every word we study — with every ounce of our hearts? This word heart isn’t just your literal heart, but figurative which means it’s talking about your “feelings, your will and your intellect” (KJV Lexicon). When we sit down to study God’s Word we should bring it all to the table, our hearts, our intelligence, our purpose, and our will as we seek God in His Word.
When we seek him with our whole heart, we take His Word with us…we can’t escape what He has taught us in His Word. It transforms our purpose, guiding how we live; it ushers us away from sin — will we mess up? Of course, but when we keep His Word in our hearts and remember His truths, we will run from sin rather than to it.
As we study this Psalm together I pray we seek Him with every ounce of ourselves. I pray we seek to see Him in every word and allow it to change and transform how we live, love and serve.
Did you grab the worksheet for Day 1 & 2? Click the image below
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