As food is imperative for our physical survival, GOD’s Word is critical for our spiritual survival. JESUS references this truth when He declared in Matthew 4:4: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceed from the mouth of GOD.” Jeremiah 15:16 says, “When I discovered Your Words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear Your name, O LORD GOD Almighty.”
Even as we eat daily, we also should read/digest GOD’s Word daily. The first is imperative for our physical health, and the second is imperative for our spiritual health. Let’s take a look at Psalm 119 to continue this conversation.
In Psalm 119:1-3, you discover reading GOD’s Word makes you very happy! “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; They walk in His ways.”
The Psalmist uses the word “blessed” two times. The word literally means “happy.” According to these 3 verses, true happiness is secured in the spiritual realm. “Blessed” or “Happy” are those who read and obey GOD’s Word. Happy people obey GOD’s Word because they seek GOD’s Word with their whole heart. In other words, their passionate love for GOD leads them to read GOD’s Word and to keep (obey) GOD’s Word.
You cannot experience happiness when you sin against GOD. According to verse 3, you do not sin because you walk in His ways – i.e., you live your life in obedience to GOD’s Word. Then you will be happy.
In Psalm 119, you discover reading GOD’s Word keeps you spiritually clean. Verse 11 declares, “Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.” Here is s sure-fire way to overcome temptation. Remember JESUS’ encounter with the devil in the wilderness in Matthew 4? He was tempted 3 times. How did He respond to each temptation? He quoted GOD’s Word.
In Psalm 119, you discover reading GOD’s Word requires help! Verse 18 says, “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law.” Verses 33-34 provide a powerful prayer for understanding GOD’s Word: “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” You and I cannot read the Bible like we read a newspaper, a blog, a Facebook post, or a magazine. You and I must seek GOD’s help in understanding His Word. I Corinthians 2:10 reminds us, “But GOD has revealed them to us through His SPIRIT. For the SPIRIT searches all things, yes, the deep things of GOD.”
In Psalm 119, you discover reading GOD’s Word revives your soul. Verse 25 declares, “My soul clings to the dust; Revive me according to Your Word.” Sin or suffering can sap you of your spiritual vitality. But when you turn to GOD’s Word, it revives your spirit. Your spiritual vitality is restored.
In Psalm 119, you discover reading GOD’s Word compels you to share your faith. Verse 46 says, “For I will speak of Your testimonies also before Kings, and will not be ashamed.” David declares he will not be ashamed to share the Word of GOD with the most powerful kings on planet Earth!
In Psalm 119, you discover GOD’s Word comforts you in your trials. Real Christians in real life have real problems. So, just where do you turn when life gets incredibly hard and painful? Psalm 119:50: “This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your Word has given me life.” Psalm 119: 92-93 says, “Unless your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life.”
In Psalm 119, you discover reading GOD’s Word reflects the passion of your heart and the priority of your life. Psalm 119:97 states, “Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” In Psalm 119:47-48, David declares, “I rise
before the dawning of the morning, and I will cry for help; I hope in Your Word. My eyes are awake through the night watches, that I may meditate on Your Word. GOD’s Word was so valuable – so precious – to Davd that he loved to meditate on it in the morning and throughout the night.
Let us pray for a greater love for GOD’s Word and a greater passion to read it, study it, and memorize it! Let’s let the Word renew our minds so that our spiritual lives will be transformed.
Pastor Mike