No book dedication can happen without giving praise to my God- who is forever faithful. I don t know why You take me on the adventures you do, but thank you. Secondly, to Mark and Astrid Schaffer and Duane and Amy Hoffman, who so diligently poured God s Word into my life and taught me how do delight in it. Lastly, to Camryn Eastin and Mackenzie Bowlin, for being my sounding board on all God taught me for so many years. May you love God s Word with all your, heart, soul, mind and strength.
Psalm 27: 4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.
Have you ever fallen in love? You know the feeling. You see that special someone, you get weak in the knees, and your heart starts to pound? Palms get sweating and you try to find the words to say. Have you ever felt that way about God? We live in a world where people fall in, and out, of love. With their spouses, with each other, and even with God. People are not passionate about God s Word anymore. People have lost their love for God s Word. Spring is a time of newness. The grass grows, the days are warmer. Flowers begin to bloom and so does love. New life begins to spring up all over the place- from the ground to the animals. We also think about spring cleaning in the spring. Cleaning out the old airing the house out. We clean out the cobwebs and make our homes airing and bright again. Winter is gone and spring brings a new bounce in our step. As we move into this new season, with all the new life and fresh touches around us, let s jump back into God s Word with new resolve. Let s clean the cobwebs that are hanging around our hearts and lets bring a freshness and new life back in. This devotional is made to do that. As we study Psalm 119- the very heart of God s Word, with the very man after God s heart we will fall back in love with God. We will pull out his truths. We will fall in love with his book. We will clean out the areas of our lives that dingy, and bring newness back in. We end the book with a couple of my favorite passages of scripture- just to round it out! Let s fall in love with the One who will never leave us, and always be found faithful. Worshiping With My Life, Mandy
Day One: Starting At The Beginning Read: John 1:1-5; Genesis 1:1-6 In the beginning, God. Both Genesis 1 and John 1 start the same way. We must remember that. At the very beginning- God. The beginning of creation. The beginning of the Word of God. The beginning of your life and mine. The beginning is God. It is the only right place to start. The Word of God and the character of God are inseparable. Everything you know to be true of God- is true of His Word, for He is His Word. Let s look at some of the characteristics of God: God is Love- The whole world talks of a loving God that is ultimately who they want God to be. And He is. God s Word is a love letter written by our Heavenly Husband to His Bride. God is Just- The world doesn t like to talk about God s justice as much but it doesn t change who He is. God s Word is an instruction book for our lives and it helps us know what is right and what is wrong. God does not change- God is never changing. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The same is true of His Word. The cannon is sealed, and the Word is written. Each of it is meant for us. The Word of God is not based on time periods- but is eternal from past to present, cover to cover. God keeps His Promises He is our promise keeper! The very promises that He has recorded for us in His Word will come to fruition! God is faithful He is Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End. So is His Word. We can count it as a faithful friend that we should know intimately. When my husband and I were dating, he would send me cards. They were sweet and I held on to each one. I read them over and over even memorized the words on them! How much more should I love God s Word that was written by my Heavenly husband, as words of encouragement and love, to me his Bride?
Day 2: The Why Behind Bible Study Read: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Matthew 28:19-20 So many people, even Christians, want to know why they should personally read the Bible. They will go to church and listen to pastors and teachers. They will read blogs. But, they have a hard time getting into God s Word for themselves. Why should we read the Bible? Because it is beneficial! The word inspired is used in several versions of the Bible, and others use the literal meaning- God breathed. The very Word we hold in our hand was breathed from God. There are two things in all of creation He breathed- breath into man s lungs, and the Word of God! Those are the two things that last forever as well- the souls of men and women, and God s Word. With that in mind, I would say they are some of the most important things we can spend time on. The verse also says that God s Word is profitable! It has four amazing benefits for us- Doctrine- Doctrine is a fancy word for teaching. God s Word is to teach us what is right. God wanted to be sure that we knew what was right so that we would be without excuse! Reproof- Reproof is what we give when someone has done something wrongespecially if they know what is right! Reproof is the parts of scripture that tells us what we should NOT do! Correction- When we do wrong, we need to be corrected. Conviction plays here. As we read God s Word, we see the wrong that we have done, and we are corrected by our loving Heavenly Father. Instruction in Righteousness- Once we have done wrong, we don t want to do it again! Or, if we haven t done wrong, we want to know how to guard ourselves from doing wrong! That, my friend, is instruction in righteousness. It is keeping our lives in a place of fellowship with God. He tells us how we should lead our lives to keep us from sin- all in His Word! If these reasons are not enough, verse 17 tells us that the reason he does this is to perfect, or mature us, so that we will be complete and equipped to do the Work that He has left us here to do! We should not study God s Word for knowledge only but how we can do the work- the Great Commission- of telling others about Christ! We can t
teach what we don t know! It also strengthens us for the days when our faith is tested and helps us to continue to do right when we are faced with the wrong. What a great profit God s Word is to us! Day Three: Deep Roots Read: Psalm 1 I love to talk about deep things. I love to get past the superficial with people, and really know about their lives. I want to invest in them! Now, don t get me wrong. I love to talk about great deals, my kids, and memories but the relationships that have stood with me the test of time are the ones that I go deep with the ones that has strong roots. The same is true about our walk with the Lord. Like all relationships, it takes work and it requires you to really get to know Him. The great thing is, He WANTS to be known so He hides nothing from you! His Word is the way that we get to know Him to begin to hear His voice in real and loud ways. In Psalm 1, we find that a man is blessed when he doesn t walk with the ungodly. He doesn t stand in the path of sinners- or sit with the scornful. Instead, we should delight in the law of the Lord. The Law of God is an Old Testament word for His Word! The more we delight in the Word of God, the deeper our roots grow! That means, we are like a tree that is drinking in the Water of Life- and because of that, our lives will produce fruit. What we put into our lives will come out so the more of God s Word we read, the more of God s Word that will come out! As we spend time in His Word, our hunger for it will grow. The more we spend time in it the more we will understand. That is the beauty of the Word of God. You can read the same passages year after year, and each time, God will teach you something new from it. As we delight in the Lord, He does something amazing- He changes us. He molds us into new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17) He takes the old things that we wanted and
He makes our desires to line up with His (Psalm 37:4). Then, the Word of God can become the foundation of our life- and God and His Word can be the ONE THING that we desire- the ONE THING we seek after (Psalm 27:4). May that me known of me and may that be known of you! Day 4: The Heart of God, The Heart of The Bible, and The Man After God s Own Heart Today, instead of reading a specific passage, I want you to peruse Psalm 119 which is going to be the main passage that we use for the rest of this devotional. I wanted to start our journey together with the WHO and the WHY because I find those things to be foundational. However, today, I want you to share with you some background, and I want to look at each section of scripture with you. The very heart of God is His Will and that is that all would be Saved. Man fell in the Garden, and God provided a way back to him by sending His only Son into the World on a rescue mission to save sinners. Because we are a fallen people, in need of a Savior, we still struggle. Every. Single. Day. I know I do. Because God knew we would struggle and because He loves us so he gave us His Word to help us to do the thing He left us to do make disciples. Right in the middle at the center- of His Word, is a whole chapter, the longest chapter of scripture- about God s Word. Almost every verse of Psalm 119 talks about God s Word. It is written by the man that God himself called A man after my own heart King David. David, the great, great, great, great.. and many more greats- grandfather of Jesus. David, the shepherd boy who killed Goliath. Yes, the same David who watched Bathsheba on the roof, laid with her, and had her husband killed. That same shepherd king that same adulterer He is the man after God s own heart. And he is the one who would pen the words of Psalm 119 a love letter about a love letter. I don t think it is any coincidence that this chapter is right in the middle of your Bible. God wants HIS WORD to be at the middle of YOU! That is why we are looking at this
important chapter- and that is why I am dedicating a whole book to the study of God s Word. It is my passion and more importantly, it is the passion of God. Take some time today to look over each of the stanza s of Psalm 119. Skim them and look for the words like law, testimony, commands, His Way, precepts, statues, and judgments any word that would reference God s Word. Circle or underline it. Focus your heart there. Then, make a commitment to read and memorize God s Word this month. Maybe skim through it and find 4 or 5 verses that you can commit to memory. Then, set your Bible out tonight- so that tomorrow- you will be prepared. Ask God to teach you wonderful things out of His Word- that is a promise from His Word, and so you can be assured He WILL keep it! Day 5- Walking It out Read: Psalm 119: 1-8 I have made many commitments in my life to work out and lose weight. Yet, the only times that I have actually done it are the times when I get my shoes on and get moving! Taking a walk each night with my husband has resulted in us losing a little bit of weightwhich has given us more energy to be active with our kids and we are also able to do more in general! There have been so many times though, that I have SAID I was going to work out- and only said it. I never walked it out. The same is true in our spiritual lives. We need to walk out what we believe. We need to walk out God s ways- and that is done by getting into His Word! And, we have to do it with our whole hearts- we can t do it half way! We have to give it our everything! We also need to be diligent. Just like in working out- I have to be diligent to get into God s Word! When I start to slack, when I let other things crowd my time and my energy- it is then that I start to slide out of time in God s Word. It is also in those moments that I seem to find to lose my direction the very thing that God s Word is meant to give! Why is it that the things that are most important are often the first to go? Maybe it is because they take the most effort- they take time (and diligence!) in order to make it
happen. However, the result of doing what we are supposed to do is- PROFIT! Remember, 2 Timothy 3:1-17 says that it will be profitable for us! The more time we spend in God s Word, the more we will know and understand it. It will also be then that we will be able to His ways. We will know Him more, and the more we know, and the deeper in love with Him we fall, the easier it will be to walk out the things that are in His Word. Day 6: Keeping Your Life Clean Read: Psalm 119:9-11 My son didn t like to take a bath. I don t think boys usually do. The definition of a little boy is noise with dirt on it! However, as Mommy, I know how important it is to stay clean even if he doesn t know all the reasons yet! Over time, he has learned, and now bath time is a favorite of his and he likes to be clean (almost to my demise sometimes!) What about us? Do we like to be clean spiritually? How do we keep ourselves clean spiritually? In Psalm 119:9 it says that we should take heed to God s Word- that is how we will stay clean. Taking heed means that we obey it. We can t obey what we don t know! We can t know what we don t study and spend time with so we must be in God s Word. Just like I make my children take a bath every day we need to take a spiritual bath every day too. We live in a dirty world and each day, it gets all over us. So, we need to make sure we take some time to get that off of us, and be ready to face the battle that is before us! One way that we can keep ourselves from getting totally filthy between spiritual baths is to memorize God s Word. When we hide God s Word in our heart- we can pull it out and say it often. Think of it like a spiritual sponge bath getting off the worse or keeping the worse from ruining your spiritual clothes!
When temptation comes, we can use the very words that we have memorized in our hearts to fight the temptation. It is what Christ did in the Wilderness Satan came at Him, tempting Him to sin. Jesus chose those moments to say scripture- from His heart! We can t memorize or use what we don t put in our brains. Make scripture reading and memorization a daily part of your spiritual bath process, so that you will be able to be clean and stay clean in the dirty and sinful world that we live in! Day 7- Marinating Read: Psalm 119:12-16 One of my favorite ways to cook a beef brisket is to make my very own BBQ sauce, and then marinate the brisket overnight, letting all of the spices of the sauce seep deep into the meat. The next morning, I take the meat and sauce and place it in a crock pot on low for about 10 hours. Again, the process is slow but the meat comes out tender, and full of rich taste. It has become one of my family s favorite meals- but it is time consuming! The same is true for meditation on God s Word. It doesn t happen in just a five minute devotion. Mediation takes time. To let the word of God get deep into you not just on your outward layer, where you can check it off of your list, but deep into your heartrevealing what is truly inside. When we mediate on scripture, we are allowing the scripture to come in a fill every space of us. When times get hard- and we are cut into by the world, what will seep out of our lives? Whatever we put into them! If we spend time in God s Word each day, not just reading, but applying it and letting it become who we are that is what is going to come out of us. The Word of God. Meditation is the daily process of letting God s word marinate on your heart. It is reading scripture in the morning, and then pondering that thought the rest of the day. It is writing a verse down on an index card or sticky note, and hanging it places you will see it.
Maybe God will have you meditate on the same scripture for weeks taking time to dissect it and really tear it apart. We store the things we value- and the same is true of God s Word. It is a priceless treasure- in it is found His riches we need to store these up in the safest place we have- in our hearts and minds. This way, we won t forget God s Words- and they will be right where we need them in the moment we need them most. Day 8- A Prayer For Understanding Read: Psalm 119:17-24 Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from your law Psalm 119:18 What a beautiful prayer. This should be our attitude each and every time we come to God s Word. I believe there is power when we pray the words of God back to Him they are promises, and they are His inspired Word. Many people say that reading God s Word is hard. They don t feel like they are educated enough to understand it or that it was written for to a different time period and culture. However, God s Word is timeless. When we go to God s Word, we need to have the heart of David- that God would open our eyes to see the spiritual things that are stored in the Word. They are wonderful and beyond comprehension but we have a God who can go above and beyond those things in order to teach us. As believers, we have the Holy Spirit living inside of us. He is the greatest teacher and He is the one who teaches us. God himself comes and indwells us, to teach us His Word and to guide us. Just as a traveler needs a map, so do we. God s word is that map, taking us on a journey that leads us to wondrous things. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, and the Word of God as our map, we can walk in faith knowing that we will end up where God intended us to go.
All we need is our eyes open and that starts with a simple prayer, and a heart turned toward God. The rest is in the perfect hands of our Savior, who means all things for our good. (Romans 8:28) Day 9- The Way of Truth Read: Psalm 119:25-32 We live in a culture that does not like absolute truth. There is no right or wrong- only what you feel to be right. We live in a culture much like in the book of Judges, where Everyone does right in their own eyes. Values have been thrown out the window, and if you have them- you are considered old fashioned and not relevant. The Word of God is timeless and it is absolute truth. There is no grey area. We can t be fence sitting Christians Satan loves the fence. He wants us to not have truth he wants us to lead lives that are filled with grey. Our world is filled with self-help books of every kind. Yet, the one book that can truly help us, the one book that truly has all the answers- it might be the most stolen and best seller of all time but it sits on a shelf in most homes. Many people see the Bible as that- just another self-help book. Or, even a rule book. While it does meet every need we might have, tell us how to handle any problem life hands us, and does have guidelines for life. It is more than that. It. Is. Truth. And, the author Himself wants to teach you the book. He wants to take you by the hand and guide you through each and every page, making sure that you understand the truth. We just have to have our eyes open. Our hearts open. Be still and listen for His voice.
Oh Lord, enlarge our hearts to love your Word in such a way that we can run with a diligence the course that you have set before us, and that we may understand truth, in a world that is full of grey. Day 10 Desiring God s Word Over the World Read: Psalm 119:33-40 There is a battle within. To walk in the ways of the Lord- to follow after all His Word says with our whole heart, or to run after the things that this World offers. How can we incline our heart towards God s Word, when the world is constantly throwing more and more things at us. How can we be sure we are desiring the things of God, and not inclining to fulfill our flesh with the desires of this world- and coveting things we are not meant to have. Money isn t wrong. Fame isn t wrong. Neither is power, influence or success. However, it is what we will do to get these things that are wrong- and where we place them in priority in our lives. Often, people say that God is their number one priority. I agreed with that philosophy for a long time. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized God isn t something we should place on a priority list of things to do - He is our very life. Everything else in our lives are because of God. If God wanted me to have a million dollars- I would have it. Plain and simple. But, God knows what giving me a million dollars would do. Sure, I say I would use it for His Kingdom but my heart leans toward covetousness and idolatry, and so chances are, God knows I would use it to gratify my flesh instead of glorifying His name.
Obedience to God and His Word are the most important things in our lives- everything else falls in behind that. We need to make the prayer of verse 36 the prayer of our heart. Not so that we can gain more but so that our hearts will be bent toward the things of the Lord, for that is right. We need to put on our spiritual blinders and quit looking at things that will fade, and place our affections on things above. We need to set our heart about doing something with the two things that are eternal: the Word of God and the souls of men and women. We need to be devoted to the truth - and not just a casual Christian who might be enticed by a new car, a better job, or bigger house. We need to be revived in our hearts- so that they will be alive and beating toward God and His Word. Day 11- Speaking the Word of God Read: Psalm 119:41-48 One of the best reasons for reading the Word of God is so that we can have an answer. There are so many out there who need the truth of God s Word, and yet, they will never pick up the Bible to read it. They might be your neighbor or coworker. Or, they could be as simple as your children, who can t read yet. Many people will ask questions of you about your faith, and without knowing God s Word, we won t have the answers to give them! There is freedom in the Word of God- and we can speak it liberally! No matter where we are, we can share truth of God s Word- if we know it. We may not always be able to have the written word in our hands, but no one can take the words that are written on our hearts. We must not be ashamed to share truth with others. When people reject God s Word, they are not rejecting you (even though it may feel like) but they are rejecting God. Jesus told us that people would not receive us because they did not receive Him. So, it should not surprise us or upset us when we feel the pang of rejection.
Instead, use those times to delight in God more and to lift up his commandments! If God s Word is a true love of yours- if it is truly your delight, that you won t be able to stop talking about it. Think about the things you love the most- your husband, your children. Maybe a passion. Those things are what you just love to talk about. It comes naturally off of your lips and excitement is in your voice. The Word of God can be that kind of passion for you. You must spend time there in order for you to feel that way about it. You must read it, meditate on it, memorize it and apply it. Day 12- Comforting Words Read: Psalm 119:49-56 I have walked through some dark times. Through struggles of infertility that lead to a time of deep depression. Then, through our adoption process where I have felt alone and scared and wondering if there was ever an end in sight. Yet, I was able to cling to the promises of God s Word during those times- and it was only God s Word that has been able to get me through those dark moments. God s Word is the Word of life. When affliction has come, I have cried more tears than I care to count over the pages of scripture. It has been scripture that has been my greatest comfort. Not my husband- although he has been a rock. Not my kids, although they have been gracious. Through this time, I saw friends who have promised one thing only to back out on those promises. I have had some of the people I love the most only think of themselves, and not try to dig deep into my pain. Yet, God s Word has been there. It goes to those places with me and beyond. When people have failed- God s Word has proven itself faithful. I have been able to go back to the promises that God has made in his word, and I have been able to find true comfort. I have been able to think on things that are true, and lovely, and pure (Philippians 4:8) and not on the imaginations that my mind likes to play.
I have been able to sing praises to God as I have watched Him heal my heart and my mind. I have been able to praise even when it was hard- and bring Him a sacrifice of song. I have prayed and sang the very words of God back to him, over and over again. Night time seems to be the worse. It is then that the house is quiet and my mind can be loud. It is those moments that we can cling to God s Word. The words we have meditated and memorized can come up into our mind and drown out the words that trying to eat us from within. This too is yours- and it is mine- if we just get in, and keep God s Word. Day 13- True Obedience Read: Psalm 119: 57-64 God is my portion. Whatever we need- God is enough. We have our own ways that we want to go, or think that is right. Yet, God s Word tells us which way we should go. What is our attitude when it comes to obedience to God s Word? Do we obey: Immediately- When God speaks, are we doing what He says when we says it? Or, do we feel the need to sit on it a while, and decide if it is what we are going to do? Do you obey on your own time table? What if God calls you at midnight? Did you make haste? Exactly Do we do exactly what God says, or do we obey only in the areas we want to in the ways we feel comfortable? Right Heart Attitude- This is the hard one. This is the one we can hide from the world, and only God knows. We need to be sure that our heart is in the right place. Remember, man sees our outward actions- but God does see our heart. The other thing we need to be sure of is who we are going with. While it is important that we spend time with lost people- because we are going to be reaching out to them! However, we need to be sure we have companions that love God s Word, and have the right attitudes toward obedience of God s Word.
If we want God to teach us, we need to be sure that we are teachable. That we are ready to be obedient no matter what God ask us to do and that obedience is the attitude of our hearts. Day 14- God s Judgment and Knowledge Read: Psalm 119: 65-72 God is good. He does good things and His word is good. He deals with us well because He always deals with us according to His Word (which is good!) David asked God to teach him good judgment and knowledge and he knows that it comes from God s Word. David went through a time when he strayed from God s commandments and he knew that God could teach him how to keep his life right by heeding God s Word. Just like David, we have times when we don t do the right things. We are not perfect we mess up. Other people are quick to point out those times, and may even elaborate on them. Yet, we need to know what God says about us and that God loves us. We need to know what God s Word says about us and that He is for us. In these hard times, we can t see the good. It is hard. But, God will work it towards our good. He will use the hard times- even the times of our sin and distrust, to teach us lessons about Him. Those moments are profitable. They are more profitable than all the money in the worldbecause we learn more about the character of God, and that redemption that He brings us. It is better for us to spend time understanding God than any other pursuit that we might have. Day 15- God s Word is Our Comfort Read: Psalm 119:73-80
A few months ago, my mother in law passed away from ovarian cancer. The week leading up to her death were really hard. My husband and I stayed with my father in law around the clock. The hospital room was often quiet, and I we had a lot of time for selfreflection. As I sat and looked at the shell of a woman who was so dear to my heart, part of me was breaking on the inside. I wanted so badly for her to see the children grow up, to see our adopted baby. Yet, as I was reading God s Word, I was given so much comfort. She was going to see Jesus. Not that she didn t want to see all these other things that would happen in our lives- but her faith was about to be made sight. God s word is our comfort when we are going through hard times. He has fashioned us- He knows our beginning and He knows our end, and everything in between. He is already there. My mother in love was a woman who loved God, loved His Word, and loved serving others. His law was truly her delight. I found comfort in that. The night she passed, I found myself in this very stanza of Psalm 119. Reading the words of His comfort. Asking God to help me not be ashamed of His Gospel. Asking that I would live a life like her that I would be blameless in the sight of God and others. As she slipped into eternity, I was thankful for those moments I had by her bedside, praying. I was thankful I got to watch her example as she served God so faithfully and without selfish gain. Most of all, I was thankful for the Word of God and that it had already placed the comfort I needed in my heart, so that I could walk the days ahead. I knew that she was glad when she saw Him- and that her Hope was made sure that night. What about you? Do you find comfort in the Word of God, and in the certainty that God is who He says He is? Does God s tender mercy reign in your heart? Spend time in His word, storing it up, so that when storms come, you have the comfort you need.
Day 16- Until My Eyes Grow Dim Read: Psalm 119:81-88 Have your eyes ever gotten tired because you have spent so much time in God s Word? When I read this verse (v82), my mind was blown. Are my eyes tired from searching God s Word for His truth or His comfort? I wish I could say that was true of me. That I truly searched after God s Word like for hid treasure- until my eyes were tired. David is in his darkest hour and the only comfort he has is in the Word of God. Even as believers, hard time still come. Jesus promised they would. All over the Bible, we read stories of great men and women of faith who had hard times. In our hard times, where do we run? Do we run to friends and family, or things of this world for our comfort? Or are we taking our troubles right to the Word of God, and seeking the only true help that we can find? This stanza both begins and ends with the hope that we have- and the place that we find it is in the very words of God. God s word can give you the comfort and solace you need in hard times. It can revive us so that we can move from this moment of heartache and pain and back into a time of gladness and joy. Day 17- Settled in Heaven Read: Psalm 119:89-96 From the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs. Yesterday, we saw that David was in a low spot in his Walk with the Lord, and was listening to the Words of God to bring him Hope. Today, we see Him looking toward Heaven, and knowing that the Word of God is settled forever there!
God is faithful to all generations. He wasn t just a faithful God in the time of David, He is a faithful God today. In the good times and the bad. In times of joy and in times of sadness- our God is faithful! Happiness is circumstantial and David has learned this. He has found the joy comes from knowing God, and that is through knowing God s Word. He knows that it was only because of his delight in God s Word that he has been able to get through the things that has happened in His life. He knows that bad times and things may still come- but that God will continue to remain faithful through it all. God s Word is alive and active- and written on our hearts. The Word of God is written on all our hearts in the form of our conscience, and yet, the world and sin sears that conscience. That is why so many don t follow after God- because they allow the world to seize the space that is supposed to be filled only with God and His Word. We all face different things in life. Yet, God s Word is broad and goes the scope of mankind and time. There is nothing that God s Word doesn t have the answer to - and the answer is perfect, because it comes from God. May we rely on God, and know the breadth, and width, and height of His love- all from the broadness of His Word that is eternal and fixed forever in Heaven. Day 18- One True Passion Read: Psalm 119: 97-104 What are you passionate about? For me, it is adoption. I long to be the hands and feet of Christ, and see people open their heart and homes to children who don t have a family. To show them the love of Christ because if we don t who will. Passions are what drive us. We need to have a passion for God s Word. In today s Psalm, David gives us three reasons why we need to be passionate about God s Word.
1. He Is Wiser God is wiser. The world gives us a standard of wisdom and it is filled with degrees and letters at the end of your name. True wisdom comes from God- for He is the creator of Wisdom. He is the creator of all that is wisdom. We should be passionate about God s Word because it is the place where God gives us His wisdom. 2. To Be Kept From Sin- I don t want to live in sin and I am sure you don t either! The one way we can keep our hearts from sin is to be in God s Word. It convicts and it changes us. The more time we spend in God s Word the more we will keep ourselves from sin. 3. God s Word is Sweet- Yes, there is pleasure for us as well. The Word of God is sweet like honey meaning that we can enjoy it. We enjoy a deeper relationship with the God who loves us every time we spend time in His Word. This is where the excitement for digging into God s Word comes from the place where you just can t wait to get up and get your coffee so you can spend time with Him. Day 19- Light Our Path Read: Psalm 119: 105-112 Have you ever walked out alone at night without any light? The answer is probably yes. Even in your own yard, there can be a little fear of the unknown. We wonder what hole we might step into, what dog might be around the corner. Fear grips at our hearts, and we are left shaking in our boots! This world is dark. Yet, we have the light and that is Jesus Christ. He has also give us a lamp and that is His Word. If we are using our lamp as we should- we won t stumble around in the darkness, trying to find our way- we will know what is waiting for us in the darkness that surrounds us. Just like the wicked in this passage have laid a snare for the Psalmist, evil lays a snare for us in this world. The farther away we go from our lamp our light source- the easier it will be to entrap us.
Not only is God s Word our light, it is also our heritage. When I read about my family s heritage, it sheds light on our past. The things in our past let me know where there might be weak spots, or things I need to be sure we are covering in our lives. God s Word is also a heritage of faith for us, letting us know that we are not the only ones who have walked this path that many have walked the path of faith before us. We need to be steady on our path and make sure that we are committed to live out the Words of God to the very end of our lives. We are also living a legacy of heritage for those coming behind us. Let us leave them a legacy of light and love for the light of Men! Day 20- No Middle Ground Read: Psalm 119:113-120 People don t like to make up their minds. The Bible calls this double minded people that are constantly changing their mind, and often being wishy-washy about their lives of faith and living out the commandments of God. Yet, there really isn t a middle ground when it comes to obeying God or not. You either are or you are not. There is no grey. We need to be careful who we spend time with. Are we spending time with those who are double minded who think that there is a middle ground of grey when it comes to obeying God s Word? The only way we can know these kinds of people in our lives is to be people of the Word ourselves. We must be sure that we are reading God s Word so that we know what it says. We must be sure that we are obeying the Words of God.
We are called to be in the world- but not of the world. That is black and white. That means that we have to live in this world and even rub shoulders and befriend others that are non-believers. But we should not act like the world. What is this fear of the God? Are we to be standing in a corner, trembling in fear of God? We fear God because we know that sin cannot be in His presence. We also know that by surrendering our lives to Jesus Christ- when God looks at us, He only sees his perfect Son, and not our sin. The fear of God is what brings us to our knees- in surrender to God as the King of our life, and daily in repentance of our sin to keep our fellowship with him right. The double-minded man does not fear God. A heart check will let you know where you stand with the Lord. Day 21- Alive Faith Read: Psalm 121-128 Faith comes alive when we apply Scripture to our daily lives. Just like David asked God for understanding so should we. Understanding is more than just comprehension it is actually applying what we have read and learned into our lives. If we are just reading God s Word, we may gain knowledge- but we only apply what we truly understand. David was upset that others were hearing the Word of God and yet not regarding it. That is normal for a Christian to feel that way. When someone goes against your god, it is like they are going against you. Yet, as Christians, we should want God s word more than gold. It should be valuable to us. But, we live in a world where others would rather pursue after wealth and health than the eternal God.
This is truly what God wants for His children. For us to want Him more than anything else. He wants to not just be enough (because He is whether we place Him there or not) He wants us to surrender to Him being enough. He wants our hearts. God didn t create robots- He created worshipers. If He wanted to force us to worship He could. Just as we can force our kids hands to obedience or to our values but they are not doing it out of desire to please us, they are doing it because they don t want punishment. The same is true for our relationship with God. He can make us bow- but He desires relationship. A relationship with God has an eternal price tag that far outweighs any thing this world can hold. Day 22- The Heart of the Matter Read: Psalm 119:129-136 God s Word is wonderful. I feel like I have said that a million times in just 20 short pages yet I want to cry it for eternity. God s Word is wonderful. I keep the commandments of God because they do light my path. They give me understanding- they give me daily things to apply to my life. I long for God s Word like I do for the air I breathe- but that did not come naturally. It took work. I want to long for him even more. I want tears to fall from my eyes like rivers of water for those who don t know Him, for those who don t know this book. This is the reason I am writing today. Because I just want to share this passion with you.
I want God s face to shine on you because you know His Word. Not just know it live it. Apply it. Love it. I want this for you. That is the reason I write. That is the reason God wrote. Do you love people enough to shed tears over the fact that they don t love God and don t care about His book? What can we do to obtain this passion. Read the book. The answer is the same over and over. But it is simple that we don t do it. Day 23 God s Righteous Word Read: Psalm 119:137-144 This section of Psalm 119 is perhaps the pinnacle of Psalm 119 as it is totally dedicated to the righteousness of God. Verse 136, which ended the last passage, told us that the Psalmist shed streams of tears because people do not keep God's Law. This passage flows right from that thought by exalting the righteousness of the Lord and His Law. Here is a passage of Scripture you can completely rest in with total peace. How often we are looking, in this life, for the fountain of youth, or the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. As a Christian we have it right now! Here is righteousness, complete and pure, that not only lives within us now, but will be there for all eternity. God's righteousness is faithful forever! It is not possible for us to ever attain to the state of righteousness by ourselves, because we are born in sin. 1 John 2:29 explains it this way: If you know that He is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices
righteousness has been born of Him. This is true because the only source of righteousness is God! We, as Christians, are a total enigma to non-believers. They cannot understand how we can be in trouble and anguish and yet we are completely delighted God and in His Word. That is because we understand that grief, sorrow, and affliction are part of this world that is consumed with sin and evil. But, this world is not our home! We are able to look to God and His Word with delight for we know that our true home is with God where complete righteousness lives forever! Now we understand Psalm 119: 144 when David says, Give me understanding that I may live. Unbelievers tell us to let go and live, but the path they are traveling is the path of death. True life and true living are only found in God and His righteousness. Day 24- Praying God s Word Read: Psalm 119:145-152 David shares here how he prays. As we are wrapping up our time focusing on God s Word, it is important that we take some time talking about prayer. 1. How David Prayed- David prayed with His whole heart. 2. What David Prayed for David Prayed for God to save him. 3. When David Prayed- David rose before morning to prayed! 4. What David Prayed- David Prayed God s Word 5. How Long Did David Pray? David prayed through the night! Psalm 119 Vs 145-152 also teaches us that we have personal access to the only One who knows everything, sees everything, and has the power and ability to remedy every
problem and situation that we face. We only see through a glass darkly, so our "solutions" will always be imperfect, sometimes even exactly the opposite of what needs to be done. But God is near and all of His commandments are true (verse 151). As usual, God saves the best for last. God's testimonies last forever. God will never leave us; He will never forsake us - when the going gets rough, and He alone has the power to really do something about our needs, not only today, but forever! Day 25- Truthfulness: God s Character Read: Psalm 119:153-160 God is truth. He embodies it it is who He is. God can not lie. God s Word is filled with truth and it is dependable! John 17:14-17 gives us further light into this idea. The world despises God s Word because our values are different. We can t go along with things that go against God s Word- we have a standard in our life. So, they are ultimately against God s Word, because that is where our standards come from. Daily application of God s Word keeps our lives pure but it also keeps us different from the world. We have to understand that the world isn t going to understand these differences- but that doesn t make what we believe wrong or bad. Scripture points out sin and the world doesn t want to be known as sinners. We find truth in God s Word. We must start with ourselves though, and not just point fingers in judgment at others. We cannot expect the lost world to live like believers who are trusting God s Truth for their lives. We must be willing to live out the truth before them and allow our lives to be the melody that goes along with the words that we preach. Day 26- Know God, Know Peace.
Read: Psalm 119:161-168 Our world longs for peace. There is a simple formula for peace- to know God. In the 90 s, there was a famous bumper sticker that looked something like this: No God- No Peace Know God- Know Peace The devotion is simple- if there is no God in your life, you will not have peace. If you know God, you will know true and lasting peace. The only way we can know God is through spending time with Him in intimate relationship through His Word and Prayer. If we know God, and we love God, we will keep His commandments. This will in turn, give us great peace. When we keep our ways before God, he convicts us of areas that are no in line with His Word. Then, we can be sure that our lives are in fellowship with Him. Peace comes in those moments, because we are in communion with God. Day 27: Read: Psalm 119:169-176 I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord; and thy law is my delight Do you remember what it was like when God first saved you, how you felt? Do you remember how much you loved the word and spending time in it? Has something changed? Has the fire and light grown dim, clouded by life and the world? In the last half off Psalm 119 we find David giving us a perfect plan for what we should do if we find ourselves in this situation. 1. Stay in God s word. We should pray and ask God to help us and give us understanding when we read His word. 2. Pray: Cry out to him in prayer and ask him to deliver us from whatever is hindering us.
3. Praise: Regardless of any situation that we are in and no matter how we are feeling we should always praise him. Remember from time to time we all go astray (v. 176) and God will seek us out and bring us back into the fold. There is nothing that can take us from the hand of God. Nothing. Day 28 Why Memorize God s Word? Hiding the Word of God in my heart has a lot of different benefits. Here are some benefits from scripture for memorizing God s Word: 1. When I hide God s Word in my heart, I will meditate on it day and night, and it will become a delight in my life. Joshua 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success. Psalm 1:1-3 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the
law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. 2. When I hide God s Word in my heart, I will not sin against God. Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. 3. When I hide God s Word in my heart, I will have his word direct my paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not on thine own understandings. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Psalm 119:105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. Through this devotion, we have talked a lot about loving God s Word- yet these are some of the reasons why we should memorize it. I find that the more I memorize God s Word, the more in love with it I fall. Day 29- Why God Left Me His Word- I am His Beloved Read: Zephaniah 3:17 I am God s beloved. Those words were not ones that I felt like I could say all of my life. I surrendered my life to Christ when I was fifteen years old. I hadn t had a hard life, and I hadn t done what the world would classify as big sin (there are not big sins- in God s economy, it is all the same). I knew God loved me. I believed God loved me. I had seen evidence of it my whole life. Yet, I wouldn t have said that I was God s beloved. Life continued to move forward, and time marched on. It wasn t always beautiful actually, it was downright ugly at times. I remember being a senior in high school and wondering why bad things happened. Sadly, it was only the tip of a the ice berg.
Teachers who passed away, friends who were not true, a verbally and emotionally abusive boyfriend and not feeling like I could get out, life just got hard. I knew God was walking with me. I could feel His presence in each step. Zephaniah 3:17 says that God is there in my midst. In the midst of all those hard times, and many more to follow, God was there. He comforted me with His love more times than I can count. He was also there in some of my great times. Times of sharing His truth with others even to the uttermost parts of the World. Watching teenage girls surrender their hearts and all of them to the Lord. When I fell in love- and even the same day became a mom. Even in those moments, God was in my midst. He rejoiced over me with singing. I know the truth of the words I had heard I am God s Beloved. Day 30- When Fear Erases Truth Trust in God. Three simple words- that are so hard to do. When asked about what their favorite Bible verse is, many will tell you it is Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not unto your own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.
We throw those three simple words out there in an almost cliché way. We say that we are doing it. Yet, often, we are like our friends the Children of Israel, in Exodus 14, whose fear erases our trust. In Exodus, starting in chapter, we find the ten plagues of Egypt. Each plague was a little worse than the last and each one was a blow to one of the Egyptian s gods. The finale, if you will, was the death of the first-born. With that, Pharaoh kicked them out of Egypt, and they are able to head toward the promise land. But, just like in our lives, when we start moving in obedience to the Lord, there is always something that tries to hold us back. The same Pharaoh who let them go, decided he wanted them back. The same is true in our lives. We surrender our lives to God and Satan decides he will at least keep us in sin. We decide to walk in obedience and Satan decides to make disobedience seem beautiful. Or, he does just like Pharaoh did. He uses scare tactics and erases the trust or at least throws chalk dust in our eyes. The truth is though, we give too much credit to Satan- and we don t take enough of the credit ourselves. It is when we take our eyes off of God, and place it on the things around us, that we begin to fear. It is when we forget about the faithfulness and character of God, that we begin to doubt how He can help us- or if He would even want to.
Day 31: Many Daughters Read: Proverbs 31 The Words I long to hear at the end of my life are Many Daughters have done virtuously, but you excel them all in other words, Well done, good and faithful servant. I think I will only hear these words based on the time I spend investing in the Word of God, and into the souls of men. My prayer as you have read these devotions is that your heart would be pricked with the love that God has for you and love that would drive you to your knees, and that would make you dive into this book. The woman of Proverbs 31 had a lot on her plate- and so do we. But I don t feel like God palced her story in the Bible just as a fluffy girl post. I think it is there as a reminder that wee can lead lives of virtue. Just like this hardworking woman- we must be dedicated and diligent to do the things that God has called us to. Not the things we are cabale of doing- btu they things we are called to do. The number one thing? One thing have I desired, and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life. Psalm 27:4 That one thing that is what God wants us to seek after. Him. His house. His Word. His Truth. Every. Single. Day.
Mandy is passionate about two things: The Word of God and the Souls of Men (and Ladies!). She is a married to her best friend, and gets the privilege to love on their three blessings (who lost their biological momma leaving her husband widowed).she loves that the Lord has let her life be an example of delighting in Him and watching Him mold her life to make her desires match His. She spent 9 years in an early childhood classroom, and 4 years in an in house seminary program at her home church. She loves to bring God glory through her roles as Christ-follower, Wife and Mother (in that order!) She enjoys women s ministry, cooking, crafting, and traveling the world. Her greatest desires are to have her marriage bring God ultimate glory, see her children walk in truth, to lead others to the feet of Jesus, and to lead women into deeper and intimate relationship with their Savior through study of the Word of God. Mandy blogs personally at www.worshipfulliving.com