“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path.”
(Psalm 119:105 KJV)
Note: This is an edited version of a post from 2015
titled Thy Word.
Two weeks ago I proposed a challenge on the blog—the challenge
was to commit to reading the Bible from cover-to-cover by the end of the year. Treasuring God’s Word above all else and
knowing it is a God-given passion of mine.
Combine this with the spiritual gifts of teacher, pastor, and faith I have
a deep, burning desire that my Brothers and Sisters in Christ would develop a deep
hunger for the Word and a deep desire (and commitment) to be in the Word each
and every day.
Seeing rampant biblical illiteracy all around me—in my
Christian Brothers and Sisters, in my church, and elsewhere deeply grieves my
heart. Biblical illiteracy must break
God’s heart too. In the future, I will
likely address biblical illiteracy in a post (or two); for today, I will focus
on God’s Word alone.
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| Personal Photo |
For those of us who grew up attending church and Sunday
School, we have spiritual “roots” that came from the “seeds”, the instruction
adults in our life gave us. Sometimes
these memories can resurface in our adult years. This is true in my case.
Memories can be poignant, happy, sad, and a mix of feelings.
It is interesting to recall things
learned as a young child later in life. Many
times, children seem to understand spiritual things that we struggle with as
adults. Children seem to have an
excitement about Jesus and God’s Word that some adults seem to have forgotten
(or perhaps never had in the first place). To recapture that love and excitement as an
adult is amazing and priceless.
As a small girl in Sunday school, I remember hearing and
learning the above verse. I may have
even memorized it. Even as a young
child, I knew the importance of reading, studying, and memorizing God’s Word. (While I have spent little time memorizing
the Scriptures, I have many imbedded in my heart just because of how much time
I have spent in the Word.)
Sadly, however, for the most part the adults around me did
not model this lifestyle. In reflecting
back, there did not seem to be a hunger for God’s Word or a desire to be
immersed in the Word beyond Sunday in my church. It was not until I was in my thirties that I
made and kept the commitment to study God’s Word each day; I am continuing to
go strong today.
As a college student (undergrad and graduate), I tried to
study God’s Word daily, however, the academic demands of each semester “won”
out over God’s Word. I am a bit sad that
I let my time with the Lord each day go when I got busy. Some years, my priorities were more than a
bit skewed.
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| Photo from Pixabay |
What can we do to model a hunger for God’s Word to those around us, especially the children and youth in our lives? How do we demonstrate just how important the Word of God is for His children? How can we increase our biblical literacy? These are important questions to be considered deeply, some of these questions may be addressed later in this blog.
In 2005, I made the commitment to read the Bible from cover
to cover in a year (something that I continue to do), I began discovering many
“gems” that I had nearly forgotten. In
fact, many years I have been able to read the Bible from cover-to cover more
than once! The above verse from Psalm
119 highlights, I believe, just how important God’s Word is for us. God’s Word illuminates our path, so we can see
the way we are to walk. Ignoring God’s
Word can cause us to wander off the path and cause our relationship with the
Lord to grow cold, stale, and lifeless.
In God’s Word we can find Scriptures that address all our life situations. By obeying God’s Word, we can save ourselves (and
others) from much heartache and sorrow by making wrong choices. I am so thankful for God’s Word and the
ability to read and understand it for myself!
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| Personal Photo |
Throughout the world there are many believers who do not
have the Word of God in their heart language; while others simply have no
access to a Bible due to where they live.
These dear ones long to have
access to the Word of God. Get
that: they long to have the Word of God
to read. When they receive a Bible, it is a treasured
item that they lovingly care for and read with great hunger. If this is true for them, why is not true for
so many in countries where the Word of God is readily accessible? What has caused us to grow cold, complacent
in our faith?
What are you thankful for in God’s Word?
What can we do to increase our desire for God’s Word to be
part of our daily lives?
It is a choice we all make.
For me, I choose to read and study the Bible first thing every day
(before I get on the computer or do anything else). Some days I have to “push through” and do it
whether I want to or not. It also helps
to be around others who are also hungry for God’s Word and are faithful to
reading and studying it.
What about you: How
do you approach the reading and studying of God’s Word? What commitments have you made?
God’s Word truly is a light unto my feet and a light unto my
path! What about you?
Please join with me in prayer:
Dear Father, thank You for Your
wonderful Word. Deepen our hunger for it
so greatly that we cannot ignore it. Remind
us to turn to Your Word for knowing how we are to live. Bring growth to the seeds that are planted
each time we immerse ourselves in Your Word. Increase our knowledge of You through spending
time with You and in Your Word; we want to know You, not just know about You. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen.
From My Heart to Yours,
Kim
P.S. As I was preparing the original post, a song by Michael
W. Smith and Amy Grant came to mind, Thy
Word. Take a listen here:
