Psalm 119:9-16
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Verse 9 asks the question we struggle with: how can we keep our way pure? The answer it gives is "by guarding it according to your word". Later in verse 11 the psalmist declares that "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you". When temptation comes, when we're struggling with loneliness or stress, what can we fall back on to fight the good fight? Are we empty inside, busily trying to clean the outside, or do we have a deep well of love, peace, and truth from God that we can rely on? Learning God's word is not just a good thing to do, it is a necessary thing to do. For in doing so we fill ourselves with God's truths, which can form the foundation we need to live a pure and holy life. Computers have popularized the phrase, "Garbage In / Garbage Out", and it works that way with our minds too. If we fill our minds with TV or videos that glorify sex, those images will come back to us when we're feeling low. But if we fill our mind with God's word, its truths will come back to us when we're tempted.
Lord, thank You for Your word; help me to fill my mind and heart with Your word.
9 How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. 10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes! 13 With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth. 14 In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches. 15 I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. 16 I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.
Verse 9 asks the question we struggle with: how can we keep our way pure? The answer it gives is "by guarding it according to your word". Later in verse 11 the psalmist declares that "I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you". When temptation comes, when we're struggling with loneliness or stress, what can we fall back on to fight the good fight? Are we empty inside, busily trying to clean the outside, or do we have a deep well of love, peace, and truth from God that we can rely on? Learning God's word is not just a good thing to do, it is a necessary thing to do. For in doing so we fill ourselves with God's truths, which can form the foundation we need to live a pure and holy life. Computers have popularized the phrase, "Garbage In / Garbage Out", and it works that way with our minds too. If we fill our minds with TV or videos that glorify sex, those images will come back to us when we're feeling low. But if we fill our mind with God's word, its truths will come back to us when we're tempted.
Lord, thank You for Your word; help me to fill my mind and heart with Your word.