Do you have a hobby or pastime that takes up a lot of your spare time? Perhaps you are into a particular sport or type of music. Maybe you have a passion for cooking and read recipe books as you go off to sleep each night! The more time you spend on this particular pastime, the more knowledgeable you become. Sometimes it seems you don't have enough time to satisfy the longing for more information or more time spent on your hobby! I can relate to this with my writing. I can't get enough of it and would spend almost every waking moment on it if I could! The more I write, the more I want to write!
Some might say I'm passionate or fanatical when it comes to this pastime! Today we see the confession of the Psalmist —it seems he can't get enough of the Word of God!
"Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path."
Psalms 119:97-104 NIV
What a wonderful testimony this is! No wonder the Psalmist was compelled to write 176 verses on the topic of God's Word! He is an expert and is driven by love —love for God's law! I wonder if we can say this? Most people generally view the law as a restrictive set of rules but the Psalmist looks deeper, to the very motivation behind the One who issued them. He doesn't meditate on them out of fear but from a position of understanding that God has his best interests in mind.
He sees that God's commands make him wiser than his enemies. Meditating on God's statutes gives him more insight than his teachers! The Psalmist's obedience of God's precepts, gives him even more understanding than his elders!
Notice that it is a choice he has made —he has actively chosen to keep his feet from evil paths. The Psalmist has a deep desire to be taught from the Word and obey God's laws. He is drawn to it, just as a person hungers for something sweet! All of God's words have become sweeter than honey to this Psalmist —he yearns for more understanding and has a distinct dislike for wrong paths.
This surely is a challenge for us as we live the Christian life. We can be saved but just go on our way, barely knowing much about God at all. There is also the danger of becoming indifferent to understanding and obeying God's laws and precepts since Jesus came and set us free from the burden of carrying our sins. A person could decide that they don't need to worry about what is written in the Old Testament. However, God's commandments still show us the way we should live, in order to please Him and also to make the most of our lives.
Are you living with a passion for seeking God in His Word? As we make it a priority to read the Bible, we learn more about the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Just as it's difficult to stop at one square of chocolate, as we begin to get a taste for the sweetness of the Word of God, we won't be able to stop reading!
Pray:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for loving me so much that You have given me a guide for how to live. I know I am so blessed to have the Bible in my language and so readily available in many translations! Your Word of truth is the source of my understanding.
I long to have the same passion for Your Word as the writer of Psalm 119! You speak so clearly through Your Word and I love the way I find out more about You every time I read. Please help me not to get so caught up in the other activities of my day that I leave little time for getting into Your Word. I choose not to turn away from difficult passages but rely on Your Spirit to bring revelation as I read.
Help me Lord to meditate on Your Word as I store verses in my mind and heart today. Continue to give me understanding of who You are and how I should live to glorify Your Name.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.
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