READING: Psalm 119:1-88
“I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word.”
Psalm 119:16
I wish I had heard these words more when I was a young person, and I can only hope that I would have heard them and followed them in those days:
How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!
With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes; I will not forget your word. (Psa. 119:11-16)
Had I known these words better, I would have been more prepared to fight temptation as a young man. I did not know then the power of hiding God’s Word in my heart, so I did not do much scripture memorization. While I did do evangelism, I didn’t understand it as a means to fight temptation; I didn’t know that the lures of sin would have lost their power if I had been more intent on telling others the story of Jesus. I read the Word, but it would not be accurate to say that I delighted in it, nor did I really meditate on it. Too often, I forgot His Word and wandered from it.
Now, many years later, I much better understand the power of the Word. My role now is to (1) use that same Word to fight temptations as an older man, as the process of victory remains the same, and (2) teach young men these same words. I want to help the next generation delight in His Word more than they delight in riches.
ACTION STEPS:
- Decide where this psalm most challenges you to change in order to fight temptation.
- Ask God to help you delight in His statutes.
PRAYER: “Lord, help me to love Your Word more than riches today.”
TOMORROW'S READING: 1 Kings 3-4, 2 Chronicles 1, Psalm 72
