The Path Of Purity

 

How can a young person stay on the path of purity? 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, 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.

 

Psalm 119:9-16

 

Many of us learned passages from the Bible by memorizing them. For some, that works and they lead solid lives. For others, memory work does not mean putting what you memorized into action.

 

Although memorizing the Bible is a good habit to develop, it’s not the act of memorizing that keeps us from sin. Having the words of Scripture in our heads might make little difference in your own behavior. Instead of victory over sin, knowledge alone can generate feelings of guilt.

 

We all need to internalize the meaning of the Scripture in our own lives. We can hide it, like a musician does in memorizing the Scripture, but we also have to live the Bible. As God’s Word spreads from our heads to our hearts, sin loses its power over us.

 

Let God’s Word fill your memory, rule your heart,

and guide your life.

 

Our Daily BreadNovember 7, 2012