Do We Love God's Word?

“Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”

(Psalm 119:97 ESV)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Psalm 119:105 ESV)

            As we read through Psalm 119, one thing is plain.  The author of this Psalm loved the Word of the Lord.  His thoughts were focused on God’s Word throughout the day, and they guided the actions he took.  But, reflecting on this, I’m forced to ask: Is this our attitude today, when it comes to God’s Word?

            So often today, even in the church, a different attitude is prevalent.  Even though we will say that we love God’s Word, we never take the time to read it or study it.  It’s not something on which we focus during our day to day life.  More often than not, we have no idea what the Bible even says. 

            Quite often, reading God’s Word and reflecting upon it is seen as more of a chore than a joy.  If we do it at all, it isn’t done out of our desire to know the Lord or the words he’s spoken.  It’s done out of a sense of duty.

            God’s Word is also not what guides our steps.  Instead of looking to Scripture when making decisions, we look to our own wisdom.  Instead of looking to Scripture to determine the right course of action, we look to our feelings and to popular opinion. 

            When we do look to God’s Word, we often find that it makes us uncomfortable.  It makes us uncomfortable because it contradicts what we tend to think and believe.  And this forces us to make a choice.  What do we believe is correct, our feelings or the written Word of God?

            Quite often, we look to Scripture and think that its teachings are outdated.  We believe that we’ve evolved past these doctrines of old.  We believe that if the authors of the Bible knew what we know now, it would read much different.

            When confronted with the uncomfortable aspects of Scripture, I’ve often heard people say something to the effect of: “My god would never say such a thing…My god would never do such a thing.” We often act as if we speak for God.  We act as though we’re a better judge of his character than he is himself.  We act as though we know him better than those who walked with him and who were inspired by the Spirit of God to pen the words preserved in the Bible.

            In closing, I want to leave you with a few statements, made by Jesus, regarding his Word:

"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

(Matthew 7:24-27 ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death."

(John 8:51 ESV)

“The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment-- what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me."

(John 12:48 ESV)

"If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.”

(John 14:23-24 ESV)