Memory – Psalm 119.9–11 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. (Psalm 119.9-1)
Remember to say the address of the verse before and after you recite it; this will help you to find it in the Bible as the opportunity presents itself to share with those who ask about your faith. 1 Peter 3.15 … but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect …
Remember to say the address of the verse before and after you recite it; this will help you to find it in the Bible as the opportunity presents itself to share with those who ask about your faith. 1 Peter 3.15 … but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect …
Meditation -- This memory verse(s) serves as a natural follow on to last week’s memory verse found in Psalm 1.1-2 delighting in the Word of God (law) and meditating on it helps the Christian to know about what pleases God; moreover, it serves as a reminder of his daily provisions and his grace and mercy. Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible (176 verses). There are 22 sections with 8 verses in each section. Collectively they comprise an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet (e.g. Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, He …). Every section and every verse in some manner refers to God’s Word, whether as a commandment, rule, statutes, testimony, precept, promise, or it implies God’s Word as in verses 37 & 84. Thus, all of language serves as a vehicle for God to communicate with us and a means for us to speak to God.
The Bible as a whole is an account of God’s creation (the cosmos, the earth, its creatures and mankind). In the opening three chapters Genesis we are told that there was unhindered access to God in Eden; what follows early in the biblical narrative is a record of man’s alienation from God through the sin of disobedience. What follows all the way up to the last three chapters in Revelation is a history of God making a way to restore our fellowship with him. In short, it is a history of redemption.
Throughout Scripture we read about God’s delight in those who seek to know him. Jeremiah wrote: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29.11-13). The psalmist delights in pleasing God; so, his heart becomes a storehouse of God’s Word so that he might not sin against the Lord. He prays that God will enlarge his heart (119.32) so that he has an ever-growing joy in his relationship with God. Of course, he is not perfect and sins. As you meditate on these verses and recognize that, like the psalmist, you may have a great desire to know God, but at times you are frustrated by persistent habits and sin that you know are not pleasing to God. Let me remind you that that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. The psalmist David wrote: He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103.10-12).
As you become more familiar with the Bible think about how God’s Word is taking root in your heart (cf. Colossians 2.6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving). A fundamental truth about Christian maturity is knowing right from wrong. Pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit that God’s Word rooted in your heart will come to the forefront of your mind and you will act on it.
A gentle reminder that this is not just a memory exercise; it is a means of interalizing biblical truth so that it becomes a compelling indwelling.
The Bible as a whole is an account of God’s creation (the cosmos, the earth, its creatures and mankind). In the opening three chapters Genesis we are told that there was unhindered access to God in Eden; what follows early in the biblical narrative is a record of man’s alienation from God through the sin of disobedience. What follows all the way up to the last three chapters in Revelation is a history of God making a way to restore our fellowship with him. In short, it is a history of redemption.
Throughout Scripture we read about God’s delight in those who seek to know him. Jeremiah wrote: For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29.11-13). The psalmist delights in pleasing God; so, his heart becomes a storehouse of God’s Word so that he might not sin against the Lord. He prays that God will enlarge his heart (119.32) so that he has an ever-growing joy in his relationship with God. Of course, he is not perfect and sins. As you meditate on these verses and recognize that, like the psalmist, you may have a great desire to know God, but at times you are frustrated by persistent habits and sin that you know are not pleasing to God. Let me remind you that that God does not treat us as our sins deserve. The psalmist David wrote: He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us (Psalm 103.10-12).
As you become more familiar with the Bible think about how God’s Word is taking root in your heart (cf. Colossians 2.6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving). A fundamental truth about Christian maturity is knowing right from wrong. Pray for the leading of the Holy Spirit that God’s Word rooted in your heart will come to the forefront of your mind and you will act on it.
A gentle reminder that this is not just a memory exercise; it is a means of interalizing biblical truth so that it becomes a compelling indwelling.
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