Psalm 119:33-40 "Teach me, O LORD, the way of THY statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep THY Law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart. Make me to go in the path of THY commandments; for therein do I delight. Incline my heart unto THY testimonies, and not to covetousness. Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken THOU me to THY way. Stablish THY WORD unto THY servant, who is devoted to THY fear. Turn away my reproach which I fear: for THY judgments are good. Behold, I have longed after THY precepts: quicken me in THY righteousness."
A Prayer
Happy New Year ! As we begin another year, the verses in our above text contains a prayer that should be the desire of our heart each day. Do you want to be taught, controlled, energized, and strengthened by GOD this year ? If so, make these words a regular part of your communion with the LORD. In this passage we find. . .
A Prayer to Be Taught by GOD (vv.33-34 pictured above) Notice the plea of the psalmist. "Teach me" and "give me understanding." A teachable heart is the beginning of a life that brings joy to the believer and glory to GOD. And, of course, the source of all true knowledge and understanding comes only from our CREATOR through HIS Holy WORD.
A Prayer to Be Controlled by GOD (vv.35-37 pictured above) Again, take note of the words of the psalmist: "make me to go," "incline my heart," and "turn away mine eyes." We should earnestly desire to be controlled by no one or nothing other than the very ONE WHO knows what is genuinely best for us. When we allow ourselves to be controlled by our own flesh or by any other person or thing, then we will most assuredly find ourselves walking down a path that eventually leads to physical, emotional, and spiritual ruin.
A Prayer to Be Energized and Strengthened by GOD (vv.38-40 pictured above) Once again, consider the words of the psalmist: "Stablish THY WORD," "Turn away my reproach," and "quicken me." Only GOD can establish us, make us alive, and transform us into the kind of people who shine as lights in a dark world. HE wants to use us, but we can only be of benefit to HIM when we are pure and yielded vessels. May the LORD teach you, control you, and strengthen you this year as you earnestly seek to be used by HIM.
1st.Timothy 4:6-9 "If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of JESUS CHRIST, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation."
A Plan
As we have begun another year, we cannot expect to prosper in any area of life without a plan. If you want to lose weight, you must implement a plan and stick to it in order to meet your goal. If you want to save more money, you must plot a course of action and abide by your budget. Likewise in the spiritual realm, if you want to grow closer to GOD and be spiritually healthy, you must have a plan in place and be faithful in abiding by your plan. Our text provides a biblical three-step plan for spiritual health.
FIRST, in order to be spiritually healthy, you need to eat the right things (v.6 pictured below). Of course, spiritual food is the subject of consideration here. We need to be "nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine." Timothy himself was to be consuming these things, and as an elder in the Ephesian church, he was to feed others the same. "Words of faith" and "good doctrine" entail the communication of GOD to man -- the Bible. It is impossible to be spiritually healthy without eating this food daily. One meal is not enough. We need to be continually reminded and taught these "words of faith" and "good doctrine." The Apostle Peter knew that man tends to be forgetful, so he reminded the church that the Holy Scriptures were written down for our perpetual instruction (2nd.Peter 12-21). How can we nourish ourselves on GOD's WORD regularly ? We need to spend time in the Bible both privately (personal devotions) as well as publicly (church attendance). Feast on the Scriptures and sit under the teaching of those who "feed the flock of GOD" (1st.Peter 5:2 pictured above) by "preaching the WORD" (2nd.Timothy 4:2 pictured above).
If you desire to be spiritually healthy in the coming year, you must follow GOD's plan for spiritual health as found in the above Scripture text (1st.Timothy 4:6-9). As we have already noted, the first part of the plan entails eating the right things (v.6 pictured above) -- being nourished "in the words of faith and of good doctrine." Yet the second step is just as important:
You need to avoid consuming the wrong things (v.7a pictured above). The Bible describes spiritual junk food as "profane and old wives fables." The Greek term underlying "fables" is mythos, and calling them "profane and oldwives fables" carries the idea of "fictional drivel." Today, many Christians are consuming the foolish and erroneous ideas, opinions, and philosophies of men. To be spiritually healthy means to "refuse" this junk food, to separate from it. The final step in order to be spiritually healthy is:
You need to exercise regularly (v.7b-9 pictured above). Rather than filling your body with the wrong things ("fables"), you must "exercise" yourself unto godliness. This denotes maintaining your spiritual health (Paul is presenting a comparison here between the physical and the spiritual). To exercise yourself unto godliness entails making much of those things that are important to GOD (truth). It means you will act and think like CHRIST, having the right attitude (love). John Phillips wrote, "Godliness affects all areas of life. . . .Godliness is an adornment, regardless of one's age, social standing, or walk in life." Why should you exercise yourself unto godliness ? It is "profitable" (v.8) to you both now and later. The word "profitable" in our text means "useful." Nothing is more practical than a godly life right now, and, it will reap eternal rewards yet future. MDC
Your servant in CHRIST,
Julie
Copyright, FEATURE: A Daily Bible Study Guide.
Used with permission. www.featoday.org
https://www.fivestarchristianministries.com/salvation
