Psalms 119:97-115
Some people read the Bible like it is religious information. The psalmist did not. To him, the Word of God was not decoration on a shelf, a verse on a coffee mug, or something to pull out when life got hard. It was his wisdom, his guardrail, his comfort, his light, and his hiding place.
Psalm 119:97 begins with a heart that has been gripped by the Word of God: “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.” That is not dead religion. That is not a man checking off his daily reading so he can feel spiritual. This is a man who loves what God has spoken because he loves the God who spoke it. The Word is not something he visits once in a while. It stays with him. It shapes how he thinks, how he walks, what he refuses, and what he clings to.
That is why he can say, “Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me” ~Psalm 119:98. The world may have clever arguments, strong opinions, proud teachers, and loud voices, but none of that makes a man wise before God. Real wisdom begins when God speaks and we bow to what He says. The psalmist is not boasting in himself when he says, “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation” ~Psalm 119:99. He is saying that God’s Word gives understanding that human learning cannot produce by itself.
That matters because we are not walking through a harmless world. There are enemies. There are evil ways. There are snares. There are false paths. The psalmist says, “I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word” ~Psalm 119:101. That is where a lot of people want to argue with Scripture. They want God’s comfort, but not His correction. They want His promises, but not His commands. They want light for the path, but still want to keep one foot in the dark.
But the Word of God does not work that way. If we love His Word, we will learn to hate what leads us away from it. The psalmist says, “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way” ~Psalm 119:104. He does not say he hates people. He hates the false way. There is a difference. Love for truth will always produce a hatred for lies, because lies do not lead people to life. They lead people away from God.
Then we come to that well-known verse: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” ~Psalm 119:105. That verse is often quoted, but we need to let it speak. God’s Word does not always show us ten years down the road. Sometimes it shows us the next obedient step. It gives light to our feet. It gives light to our path. The issue is not whether God has spoken clearly enough. The issue is whether we are willing to walk in the light He has already given.
The psalmist was not saying this from a comfortable place. He says, “I am severely afflicted; give me life, O LORD, according to your word!” ~Psalm 119:107. That is not theory. That is a man hurting and still holding on to Scripture. He does not run from God’s Word when life presses hard. He runs deeper into it. He knows that life does not come from circumstances getting easier. Life comes from the Lord according to His Word.
He says, “I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law” ~Psalm 119:109. That is a serious statement. His life feels exposed. The danger is real. The wicked have laid a snare for him, but he says, “I do not stray from your precepts” ~Psalm 119:110. That is what faith looks like when it is tested. Trouble does not give us permission to disobey God. Fear does not give us permission to compromise truth.
All of this points us to Christ, because Jesus is the only One who perfectly loved and obeyed the Word of God. When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus answered, “It is written” ~Matthew 4:4. He did not debate from human wisdom. He stood on the written Word. Where Adam fell, Christ stood. Where Israel failed, Christ obeyed. And now those who belong to Him are called to continue in His Word. Jesus said, “If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed” ~John 8:31, KJV.
This passage is not calling us to admire the Bible. It is calling us to live under it. The psalmist says, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart” ~Psalm 119:111. That is not legalism. That is love. A heart that has tasted the sweetness of God’s Word does not see obedience as bondage. It sees obedience as the path of life.
Then he says, “I hate the double-minded, but I love your law” ~Psalm 119:113. That is plain talk. The double-minded man wants God and the world, truth and error, obedience and compromise. But the psalmist has made up his mind. “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word” ~Psalm 119:114. When the pressure comes, he does not hide in excuses. He hides in God.
So the question is simple. Is the Bible something we say we believe, or is it the light we actually follow? Tomorrow will have enough darkness of its own, but God has not left His people guessing. He has given us His Word, and the next step is obedience.
Daniel 4:1-37
2 Peter 1:1-21
Psalm 119:97-112
Proverbs 28:17-18
Read Today’s Scripture – Click Here
Click on the Play Button below to Listen to Today’s Scripture
New Testament: 2 Peter 1:1-21
Summary: Confirm Your Calling and Election, Christ’s Glory and the Prophetic Word
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
~ 2 Peter 1:3-15
Overview: 2 Peter – Click Here
We are made “partakers of the divine nature,” receiving and sharing God’s own nature through His promises. Then we have to work that divine nature into our human nature by developing godly habits. The first habit to develop is the habit of recognizing God’s provision for us. We say, however, “Oh, I can’t afford it.” One of the worst lies is wrapped up in that statement. We talk as if our heavenly Father has cut us off without a penny! We think it is a sign of true humility to say at the end of the day, “Well, I just barely got by today, but it was a severe struggle.” And yet all of Almighty God is ours in the Lord Jesus! And He will reach to the last grain of sand and the remotest star to bless us if we will only obey Him. Does it really matter that our circumstances are difficult? Why shouldn’t they be! If we give way to self-pity and indulge in the luxury of misery, we remove God’s riches from our lives and hinder others from entering into His provision. No sin is worse than the sin of self-pity, because it removes God from the throne of our lives, replacing Him with our own self-interests. It causes us to open our mouths only to complain, and we simply become spiritual sponges— always absorbing, never giving, and never being satisfied. And there is nothing lovely or generous about our lives.
Before God becomes satisfied with us, He will take everything of our so-called wealth, until we learn that He is our Source; as the psalmist said, “All my springs are in You” (Psalm 87:7). If the majesty, grace, and power of God are not being exhibited in us, God holds us responsible. “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you…may have an abundance…” (2 Corinthians 9:8)— then learn to lavish the grace of God on others, generously giving of yourself. Be marked and identified with God’s nature, and His blessing will flow through you all the time.
From: utmost.org
The Bible: where did it come from? How can we be sure it’s true? There are many questions we have about our faith as we search for authenticity. It is a blessing that our God, in His infinite wisdom, has provided some answers within the Scripture. Discover how the Bible unravels its mystery in today’s video.
Views: 15
