God's Word in Our Heart

Rules are important.  There are rules in almost every aspect of life.  Without rules athletic competitions, classrooms, and entire societies would be in constant chaos and disorder.  Rules set the standard for actions and behaviors that are expected and acceptable in any given environment.  There are consequences for not playing by the rules or living according to the law.  God’s Word is the “rule book” for life.  In God’s Word we are given God’s standards of what is right and what is wrong.  Whenever we live according to God’s rules, life works, and whenever we don’t live according to God’s rules, life does not work.

The Old Testament law is made up of hundreds of relational, social, and civil “rules”.  The most well-known of these rules are the 10 commandments.  According to Jewish tradition there are 613 “rules” or commandments in the law including 248 “positive” commandments, things that we are to do, and 365 “negative” commandments, things that we are not to do.  God gave all of these rules that we might know how to live in right relationship with Him and each other.

Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible, 176 individual verses.  Psalm 119 refers to God’s Word 165 times with 8 different words including law (25), testimony (23), way (4), precept (21), statute (22), commandment (23), rule (17), and word (30).  It’s overwhelmingly obvious that Psalm 119 is a poetic prayer of heart desiring God and wanting to be saturated with God’s Word.  A PASSIONATE HEART for God’s Word creates a PASSIONATE HEART for God!  How does our passion for God’s Word inspire our passion for God?

Psalm 119:1-16

A passionate heart for God’s Word PRAISES God (Psalm 119:7) – Whether privately or corporately, praising God is an appropriate response to what we learn about who God is and what He has done through His Word.  The word “praise” means to express gratitude or thanksgiving.  Therefore, to praise God means expressing our gratefulness and thankfulness to God.  As God reveals more of Himself to us through His Word our desire to praise Him will grow.  As God reveals more of what He has done for us through His Word our desire to praise Him will increase.  As God reveals more of how we are to live to us through His Word our desire to praise Him will abound.  Spending time in God’s Word is marked by a life of praise for God!

A passionate heart for God’s Word SEEKS God (Psalm 119:10) – Life is a journey, and rules are like a highly visible, well-lit path that leads us in the right direction.  Going off the path makes the journey hard and dangerous.  Staying on the path makes the journey easy and safe.  A well-marked path is necessary in life in order to keep us from wandering off into the dark wilderness.  Where do we find such a path for the journey of life?   Psalm 119:105 says, “your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”.  In the journey of life, God’s Word provides us with an illuminated next step.  When we seek God’s Word we are ultimately seeking God’s guidance, direction, and will for each and every step on the path of our life.

A passionate heart for God’s Word does not SIN against God (Psalm 119:11) – In Matthew 6:45 Jesus said “the good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good.”  How do we store an ever increasing amount of good treasure in our hearts?  By filling it up with God’s Word!  When we store God’s Word, His rules, His statutes, His precepts, His laws, His commandments, in our hearts we will produce the fruit of righteousness and eliminate the bad fruit of sin.  The best way to eliminate sin from our life is not to try harder to not sin, but rather to fill our hearts to the point of overflowing with God’s Word!

CONCLUSION
Psalm 119:111 says, “Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart.”  Spending time with God by reading His Word should be one of the greatest joys of our heart.  It is not a joy because we learn new rules to obey or disobey, but because it brings us closer to the One who revealed Himself to us.  Where do we experience joy in life?  Is it in taking all the right turns on the path of life?  Or is it in relating with the One who is walking along the path of life with us?  May our passion for God’s Word ignite a passion for God Himself!