LEARNING DAILY

 

Psalm 119:9-10, How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to your Word. With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!

 

King David is given credit for writing this Psalm. He probably wrote it later in his life and wrote it for his son, Solomon (according to Bible scholars). The question he raises is a great question for people of all ages and seems to be very appropriate in the days we live in. The question of how we live pure and moral lives while living in this evil, unrighteous world must be answered by each of who have given our lives to Jesus Christ, those who have been “born again”. Living pure lives in the ungodly environment we live in can be very difficult, especially if there is no one to support us when we face temptations. I am a work in progress, but let me offer some suggestions.

 

Perhaps the key to this is in the words, “By taking heed according to Your Word.” For those who read this that are much younger than me, I must encourage you to open God’s Word every day. Read, study, and apply it to your life; make it the center of everything you do! For those who are older, I encourage you to do the same thing! This might seem easy, but when you make a conscious decision to do this, there will be all sorts of things that will try to interfere and cause you to be too busy. Before you know it, the day is over and you have not opened your Bible. I was encouraged last week to hear an individual I have been praying for, spends time in devotions each morning before the work day begins! May this be a decision each of us makes.

 

We “seek God with our whole heart” by taking time to pray. Talk to Him. Get to know Him through His Word and spend time in prayer. God’s written Word is God speaking to us. Reading, studying, praying work together so we get to know who He is and guides us each day. We gain strength to do the right thing each day, to speak truth instead of what we think people want us to say, and to say no to temptation. I have found that over the years since I asked Jesus into my life that my desire to read/study His Word and spend time in prayer has never stopped. I have learned that the important issue is not how much time I spend in the Word but what the Word has done to change me. Can anyone else say the same thing?

 

Be encouraged to commit God’s Word to memory. Doing so will help you stand on the truth when faced with the deception found in the world. I have found so much joy when it strengthened me to do the right thing when following the crowd would have been easier. Knowing His Word has helped me through tough situations when forced to give up those things I truly loved doing (not just bad things, by the way).

 

The way to keep yourself clean and pure is to live according to God’s Word. It is the way each of us dies to self and walk the narrow way with Jesus as the authority in our life. It is a daily decision each of us must make.