Here's some excerpts from my journal notes as I have been going through Psalm 119. The below passage is perhaps one of my favorite in all of Scripture. If I ever find myself in a situation where I want to motivate someone to actually read their Bible - because we will usually fail at all of our efforts at anything if we do not know why we work towards something - I go to this passage first. I think God's word (!) speaks for itself here...
Psalm 119:9-11
Ps. 119:9
Q: How does a young man / woman live a pure life? How do they go about purifying their path? How does one maintain moral purity?
A: The person must guard their life, thoughts, decisions, and all they do in accordance with God's revelation. The person must have a vibrant and growing knowledge of the Bible if they hope to protect their lives from sin and wickedness. Yet, it is not enough to merely have an encyclopedic knowledge of God's word, the young person must know and learn how to apply God's directions to their life.
As the young man or woman applies God's teachings to their life, they must do so in a manner that wields the words of God like a sword against the assaults of the enemy spiritual and the enemy of one's flesh (cf. Eph. 6:17, Mt. 4:1-11).
With the aid of the Spirit and through mortification of fleshly lusts, the Christian will learn to and indeed guard their life from sin.
Ps. 119:10 We should not expect a life of ease and ultimate clarity in our war against sin when our hearts are not seeking God with passion.
O Lord, increase my passion for You!
God himself must be the agent who makes firm our steps. God will establish our way as we seek, pursue, and desire him. He will keep us back from straying from his right commands for our lives. Let God be your motivation and power in the quest for holiness.
Ps. 119:11 One help God has appointed for his children not to sin is the storing up of his words in man's heart.
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