July 13, 2017
TODAY'S DEVOTIONAL IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTER "MEM" FOR "MEMORABLE QUIET TIME"
Psalm 119:97–104
Kristen Reed
Central Truth
Meditating on God’s Word in light of salvation inspires affection, wisdom, and transformation. Dive deep and devote daily!
Key Verse | Psalm 119:97
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
(Psalm 119:97)
Psalm 119:97–104
Mem
97
Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
98
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
for it is ever with me.
99
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
for your testimonies are my meditation.
100
I understand more than the aged,
1
119:100
Or the elders
for I keep your precepts.
101
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
in order to keep your word.
102
I do not turn aside from your rules,
for you have taught me.
103
How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
104
Through your precepts I get understanding;
therefore I hate every false way.
Dive Deeper | Psalm 119:97–104
As I read Psalm 119, I loved the author’s enthusiasm.
Before the first verse of this passage is over, we know he loved the law.
Comprehending its importance, he meditated on it.
Doing that, of course, required more than a rushed daily reading.
Examining God’s Word meditatively, no doubt, helped stir up his affections and led to his understanding and obedience, which we also can experience.
Faithfully engaging our hearts and minds, as the psalmist did, isn’t always easy, but we aren’t alone in our efforts.
God, through the Holy Spirit, guides us in truth and enables comprehension.
He helps us see that His wisdom is greater than the world’s.
I followed the world’s folly for 27 years and have a past full of broken relationships to prove it.
Jesus, however, came into my life, inspiring a thirst for Scripture, which proved sweeter and more vivifying than anything I ever read in women’s magazines.
Knowing God’s love through His Word transformed me.
Loving the law directly resulted from getting to know the perfectly loving Lawmaker.
Making that connection and accepting Christ as my Savior made the Bible come alive.
Now, I can read God’s Word joyfully because I understand God’s divine deliverance.
Of course, this joy didn’t come from me.
Placing my trust in Christ means that my sin has been paid for, which makes Scripture convicting and comforting instead of daunting and disheartening.
Quality quiet time continually reveals God’s will for my life.
Regularly diving deep also helps me understand and appreciate God’s character.
Sometimes, I fail at making time for that key part of my faith.
Those days, loving God and loving others well is a struggle, but God's mercies are new daily (Lamentations 3:22-23).
Unable to bear fruit apart from Christ and abiding in Him is key for us as Christians.
Very key.
When you open your Bible today, give God’s Word more than a cursory reading.
X-Ray it (metaphorically) by going beneath the surface.
You’ll find God transforming you as you renew your mind and fall in love with His Word.
Zealously draw near to God, and He’ll never disappoint.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you find God's Word convicting and comforting or daunting and disheartening? Why?
2. When you read the Bible, do you only dwell on the Scripture you read in the moment, or do you meditate on it all day?
3. What is one thing you can do today to make your reading deeper and more meditative?
4. What sources do you look to for wisdom and guidance? Is the Bible your primary authority, or are worldly sources filling that role?