Serving our Father God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Holy Spirit filled ministry since 1997!
Serving our Father God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in Holy Spirit filled ministry since 1997!
Psalms 119
As I was praying for God to give me words that would bless His people, the Holy Spirit dropped in my spirit Psalms 119. God’s word (the Scriptures) is perfect and a guide for life. As believers, we should devote ourselves to studying and applying God’s word to our daily lives.
Psalms 119 is the longest chapter or division in the Bible. It has 176 verses divided into 22 sections. Each section contains eight verses. The whole collection celebrates God’s word and honors His laws, instructions, and commandments. Every word is a passionate meditation on the beauty, power, and necessity of God’s word. The theme is that loving God’s word brings true joy, protection from sin, and a deeply grounded life. Psalms 119 is a revelation of the living God’s divine will for us. The verses tell us that without the Living Word in us, we lack the ability to keep God’s commandments (v. 4-8).
God’s word reveals to us how to get empowered by the Holy Spirit, so that we have spiritual strength to live pure and holy lives (v.9). God’s word is the key to the renewing of our minds, which in turn is the key to personal, moral, and spiritual transformation. (Romans 12:1-2.) God’s word is a mirror that helps us see our spiritual conditions.
There is immense value to hiding God’s word in our hearts. Hiding the word on the inside where it can’t be seen keeps it safe so no one can take it away. Before the word is hidden in our hearts, it must be received in our minds through hearing and reading. After this, we must meditate on it continually until it becomes ingrained in both our minds and hearts. If God’s word remains only in the Bible, and not in our hearts, we may unknowingly slip into sin.
There are wondrous things in God’s word, but we can only discover them when God opens our eyes. That is why prayer is an important part of Bible study. We cannot all see the wondrous things in God’s word unless we receive God’s blessing and favor. If we seek the joy and other wonderful benefits contained in the Scriptures, we must not merely ask God to open our eyes; we must also study the Bible carefully. When we study with open eyes, the Holy Spirit teaches us. “The Holy Spirit is given not to make our study unnecessary, but to make it effective.” (James Montgomery Boice.)
Sister Jackie Manion is a mother of four, grandmother of five, and great-grandmother of four. She is the Executive Director of Our Kids First Educational Program, a non-profit after-school program. Sister Jackie studies with the DOZ Women’s Ministries, where she serves as an Intercessor. She was an active San Francisco Christian Center member for 32 years. Jackie currently attends the New Beginning Christian Community in Redwood City. She loves God, His People, and His Word.
