Walking with God

My 5 year old, Ryan, loves to read….

Will God’s word stop with you or spread through you?

You are made to enjoy God and all His glory and exult God to all the nations. Through God’s Spirit, He Empowers us to make more disciples of Jesus by Sharing, Showing, and Teaching His word and serve the world. Because the gospel is good news for everyone, we must go beyond our immediate circles to make disciples among people who have never heard of Christ. This comes by committing to praying faithfully and include regular fasting as a part of our spiritual disciplines. To accomplish all of this we must meditate on the Word of God, so we can discover more of his truth and how he desires for us to live it out.

God’s Word itself emphasizes the importance of meditating on it for spiritual health and godliness. Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, praises the goodness of knowing and following God’s Word. It is organized as an alphabetical acrostic poem with each of its twenty-two stanzas beginning with a Hebrew letter. By structuring the poem via the building blocks of language, the author emphasizes the centrality of God’s Word in the life of God’s people.

Psalm 119:97 “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

The psalmist begins this stanza reflecting on his love for God’s instruction. “It is my meditation all day long.” Using hyperbole, or exaggeration, he describes his devout affection for God’s Word, giving readers an example and inviting them into a similar love. How well does verse 97 describe your own view of Scripture? To what extent do you think about a verse or passage from God’s Word during your day?

Psalm 119:98–100 “Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts.”

The psalmist describes how meditating on God’s Word and obeying it has benefited him. He is wiser, more insightful, and more understanding than even those whom society would expect to excel. When we prioritize God’s Word, we know the mind of God better and are more able to live in true wisdom.

Psalm 119:99 “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.”

In verse 99, the psalmist says he has more insight than all his teachers because he is meditating on God’s decrees. In other words, divine revelation is superior to human philosophy. We are better off looking to God before seeking the world’s version of wisdom.

Psalm 119:101–102 “I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me.”

The psalm describes two paths—one leading to evil, the other God’s Word. By following God, the psalmist refuses to accept evil behavior. God’s Word only leads us toward truth, goodness, and thriving because God himself is the author of life. When we follow his Word, we are choosing wisdom and rejecting sin and foolishness.

Psalm 119:103–104 “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”

The more we abide in God’s Word, the more strongly it will affect our thoughts and actions. It becomes a source of joy to us, much like honey is a joy to our tastebuds.

Sometimes our reaction to the Word is nothing like the psalmist’s in verse 103. It’s not sweet to us because, at times, it reveals hard things, challenges our thoughts, and rebukes our behavior. As the very revelation of God, the Bible cannot say what we want it to. It speaks truth, and we must align ourselves with it or suffer the consequences of going our own way.

Psalm 119:104 “Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.”

In verse 104, God’s precepts bring understanding to the psalmist—he is able to see his circumstances with wisdom from God. Scripture opens our eyes to truth, and as we spend time meditating on truth we will begin to reject the false teaching of the world.

Psalm 119 encourages us to meditate on Scripture, for in it we find God’s wisdom to guide us through the challenges of life. Our task is to prioritize God’s Word over the distractions that can so easily turn our attention away from him.

With that lets look at another acrostic to help us meditate on Scripture.

MAPS

Psalm 1:1–2 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.”

M means meditate and memorize. as “soaking in” the words of the Bible. Meditating requires consistent exposure to the Word through daily reading, investigating, and interpreting what it means. I recommend using a reading plan and choosing a specific time of day to assist you in your exploration of the text.

M stands for memorize. As Psalm 119:11 says, “I have treasured your word in my heart so that I may not sin against you.” When we memorize Scripture, we are fortifying our future selves with God’s wisdom so that when challenging circumstances arrive, we are equipped to think and act righteously.

A stands for apply Gods word. After we meditate and interpret, it’s time to understand how the passage should impact our lives. We consider how the passage changes our understanding, informs our actions, and speaks to our motivations. We should determine in what ways the message of the text compels us to behave.

Next is P, praying the Word. David suggested we ask ourselves how the passage leads us to praise God, repent of sin, ask for help, and yield to God (the PRAY acrostic from last session). It’s never wrong to seek God’s insight into what his Word is saying and what we think he’s leading us to do.

The final step is S, share your takeaways. We should look for ways to encourage others with what we learn from our time in the Word. As God continually shapes us through our time with him, we in turn can encourage others with what we are learning. Often our greatest growth comes from simple conversations where we hear what God has been teaching others.

So what?

Will God’s word stop with you or spread through you?