Week #2 – The Riches and Delights of God’s Word!

Psalm 119:9-16 – How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, O LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.

 

There are few things more inspiring than to watch the life of a young man who has a pure heart and a clean lifestyle.  This young man will have no regrets!  You can’t match the rewards and delights that result from living this way by any kind of dissipation in worldly passions and allurements.  He will miss out on the cheap relationships, STD’s, ruined families, and destructive traits that ruin trust.  What is the secret of such a young person?  The Psalmist declares that the secret is found in living according to God’s word.  Purity and clean living is a natural byproduct of seeking God with ALL one’s heart.  This lifestyle, in turn, leads to a prayer life that recognizes the human potential to stray from this holy walk, and therefore purposely invokes God’s aid in keeping on the path of righteousness. 

The young person must learn to be proactive and take initiative for this lifestyle by securing God’s Word in his heart (not just in his head), for “loving” the Word is even more important than just “knowing” the Word.  He must also be proactive in giving praise to God and inviting the Lord’s instruction – “teach me your decrees.”  And, when you have been instructed, your learning is not complete until you can recite the important truths you’ve learned – “With my lips I recount all the laws…”  However, once the Word of God has taught us, and when we are able to recite what the Word has taught, the really neat part is the application of the Word in daily living.  Our Psalmist says the application of God’s Word can be likened to being a billionaire freely putting his money to practical use! 

Further initiative needs to take place in his mental and cognitive formation.  The young person aligns his mind and heart with what God says is right and good, wise and true.  In order to do that, he needs to understand that he must not neglect God’s Word – no, not for one instant!  Such righteousness, goodness, wisdom and truth is far too rich and delightful to forfeit because of neglect.

 

Thursday:                   

• Meet together with at least 1 or 2 other believers to enter the Throne Room of Grace.
• Join our 6:00pm Thursday night prayer team.         

Friday:             

• Give thanks for the gift of God’s Word and the righteousness, wisdom and truth it reveals to us.
• Pray for the Good News families of the week: Aaron Montanaro, Derek & Ashley Morris, Jon & Rachel Perryman (Kaitlyn).

Saturday:       

• Pray for the young people God has placed in your life, that they may discover the riches and delights of God’s Word, and as a result, live lives of purity and goodness.

Sunday:                      

• Pray that believers will be proactive in keeping their lives clean, by constantly loving and abiding in the Word of God.
• Join in with our Sunday prayer services to pray for God’s presence and blessing.

 Monday:                                 

• Pray that we may be transformed by reshaping our thought lives as we meditate on God’s Word and think about how it should apply to our daily living.
• Attend “In Touch” Prayer meeting at GNCC at 10:30am or join in prayer at that time.

 Tuesday:       

• Pray for a revival of love for God’s Word among the youth of our nation that will produce righteousness, goodness, wisdom and truth.

Wednesday:   

• Pray that believers everywhere will take such delight in God’s Word that they will not neglect it for an instant. 

 

Prayer Challenge: Pray that God will grant every believer: a passionate devotion to His Word, a humble recognition that we have much room for growth and improvement, His corrective discipline – that may be painful but produces good fruit, a steadfast courage and strength to endure the arrogance, hostility, ridicule and slander of those who disregard the beauty and authority of God’s Word.