Scripture
97Oh, how I love your instructions!
I think about them all day long.
98Your commands make me wiser than my enemies,
for they are my constant guide.
99Yes, I have more insight than my teachers,
for I am always thinking of your laws.
100I am even wiser than my elders,
for I have kept your commandments.
101I have refused to walk on any evil path,
so that I may remain obedient to your word.
102I haven’t turned away from your regulations,
for you have taught me well.
103How sweet your words taste to me;
they are sweeter than honey.
104Your commandments give me understanding;
no wonder I hate every false way of life.
Nun
How sweet your words taste to me; they are sweeter than honey. Psalm 119:103
I was reading my Bible the other day when I learned something brand new about the circumstances surrounding Jesus' resurrection that I had never discovered before. I love the fact that I have been reading the Bible for at least two decades, and God continues to teach me new things when I study His word that surprise and delight me. Because the Bible is "alive and powerful" (Hebrews 4:12), we will always learn something new when we read it. Whether we are opening it for the first time or the thousandth time, God will always use His word to teach and minister to us in specific, new ways as we read it.
It is New Year's Day, and you may be making a list of all the things you hope will happen this year. What if 2020 is the year you choose to commit to studying the Bible? What if you decide today to make time for studying God's word faithfully and consistently? The Bible is one of the specific ways that God communicates with us. Will you take the time this year study it and let God use it to teach and speak to you?
It is clear that the writer of Psalm 119 loves Scripture. In fact, Psalm 119:97-104 begins with a declaration of how much he loves God's word. He thinks about it all day long. Studying it brings him pleasure because it gives him wisdom, and it helps him obey God. As these verses come to an end, the Psalmist declares that Scripture is even sweeter to him than honey. I don't love honey, so I imagine God's word as being even richer than dark chocolate. That's how the Psalmist feels about the Bible.
Do you have the same love for Scripture that the writer of Psalm 119 had, or is taking time to read God's word a duty rather than a delight? My friends, we have the distinct privilege of hearing from God through reading His word. Let's commit to being students of His word in 2020.
Happy New Year! I believe God is going to teach us so much this year as we open up His word more often than we ever have before.
Moving Toward Action
One way we can be students of God's word is to memorize it. As we commit it to memory, we can better learn it and apply it to our lives. Take time this week to memorize Psalm 119:101-104. As you memorize these verses, don't memorize them because you have to or you feel like you should. Memorize them because you delight in the gift you have in God's word. When these verses are committed to your memory, you will be amazed to see how God uses them to help you and work in your life at just the right time.
Going Deeper
Read Psalm 119:97-104 (NLT)
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