Today we continue our series entitled, “Back to the Bible,” with Part 12. Yesterday I was meditating on Psalm 119 because that is what I am going to teach from today and for the next few weeks. As I was meditating it, I thought about the many aspects/facets of my life and how without the Word of God, I would be lost.
I am a husband and father. In this role I am called to lead and Pastor my family, cast vision for where we are going collectively and provide intimacy to each family member individually. I must love my wife, read bedtime stories to my young children and provide father counsel to my older children. I am a son and brother. In this role I must honor my mother (my father is no longer living), be there for my sister and be a good cousin, nephew, uncle and Godfather our respective family members. I am a man of God. In this role I must lead a ministry, provide oversight to our church in the Dominican Republic, mentor the Pastors we have there, oversee our missionary work, cast vision for the ministry, and teach the Word daily to all those God has graced me to impact. Further, I have obligations at our local church and I must seek to serve as God has called and graced me to do so. I am a businessman. In this role I have work to do, responsibilities to manage, people and projects to oversee, and a wife who runs her own company (and all that goes along with that) to provide counsel to. I am a Soldier for life. In this role I continually spend time with those still in uniform, providing coaching, teaching and mentorship for those coming behind me; honored to continue to serve this great nation in whatever capacity God graces me to serve. I have a few more hats/roles, but I believe you get the point by now.
With all the roles God has called and graced us to both operate and excel in, all the hats we must wear on a daily basis, we must remain grounded and graced. The Word of God will help us do both. The Word of God will keep us grounded, so we don’t “read our own press” and get full of ourselves, and so we keep the prosper perspective along the way. The Word of God will also keep us graced. This means we will have a continual reminder that God’s grace is on us to do ALL He has called us to do. Without Him, we cannot. But with Him, we CAN do all things.
This leads me to Psalm 119. In this psalm King David documented an ‘ode to God’s Word. It is the longest chapter in the Bible, with 176 verses. It has this many verses because David basically wrote a love letter to God and His Word and he did it from “A to Z.” Let me explain. There are 22 characters in the Hebrew alphabet. David was the 8th son of Jesse. I am sure he liked the #8, which in the Bible refers to “new beginnings.” David wrote a stanza of 8 verses for every letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first 8 verses of Psalm 119 start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter A, Aleph. The next 8 verses start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter B, Beth. And this continues until the last 8 verses which start with the Hebrew alphabets’ equivalent of the letter Z, Taw. David wrote about God’s Word from A (Aleph) to Z (Taw). Over the next few weeks we are going to look at many of the verses in this Psalm and learn from their focus on the importance of God’s Word.
So what does this mean to you today? I’ve covered a lot already. But here are a few quick nuggets.
- When you think of all you have to do and be, all the roles you have to play in life (husband, father, son, brother, businessman, friend, leader, and so much more), and all the facets that go along with each role, life can easily get hectic. You can feel overwhelmed. You can be in a room full of people and feel lonely. You can be going throughout your day and feel lost. But if you fill your heart with the Word of God, and you learn to think and act like the one who made you, God’s Word will keep you grounded and graced. You will be grounded by the quiet serenity and strength of knowing who you are. And you will daily tap into a supernatural grace to keep going, to do all God has called you to do.
- The Word of God contains the answers to life’s questions. But you will never find them if you do not open the book and read it. Wouldn’t be a shame to struggle your way through a test while having the answer key in your bookbag? With the authorization to LOOK AT IT! This is the picture of what happens when people have access to God’s Word, they even own multiple Bibles and access to it on their mobile devices, but they fail to open it up and read it. Life is an open-book test. God gave you the answers before the test started. Use the answer key. Open your Bible and get God’s Word down in your heart.
- John McArthur said the following about the Bible.
“This book contains: the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of sinners, and the happiness of believers. Its doctrine is holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true, and its decisions are immutable. Read it to be wise, believe it to be saved, and practice it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to support you, and comfort to cheer you. It is the traveler’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter. Here heaven is open, and the gates of hell are disclosed. Christ is the grand subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart, and guide the feet. Read it slowly, frequently, and prayerfully. It is a mine of wealth, health to the soul, and a river of pleasure. It is given to you here in this life, will be opened at the judgment, and is established forever. It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labor, and condemn all who trifle with its contents.”
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I fill my heart with Your Word. I train my mind to think like You. I see myself the way You see me. I get to the point where I believe what You believe about me. With all the things I must do in life, with all the hats You have called me to wear and all the roles You have called me to play daily, I remain grounded and graced by keeping Your Word on my mind, on my lips, and in my actions. I live by every Word You speak to me Father. Your Word is the foundation for my life! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
