For the Glory of Christ, by Pastor Kevin Feder

How can a young man keep his way pure?

By guarding it according to your word.

I have stored up your word in my heart

that I might not sin against you.

Psalm 119:9, 11

Here are three observations from these verses:

Purity is a priority: Notice the question on the mind of the Psalmist is purity. This seems to mean without sinning. How can a young man keep from sinning? This typically isn’t the desire of young men. In addition, if the answer given is suitable to keep a young man from sinning, and young men have loads of pitfalls, it is suitable to keep anyone from sinning!

Purity is personal: The goal of purity is to preserve a relationship with God. He guards his way according to “your” word. He stores up “your” word. Why? He does so in order that he might not sin against “you.” The Psalmist seems to understand that the consequence of sin is severing the relationship with God. This is the higher goal than even purity. The only reason he cares about purity is because he cares about God. Knowing God’s word plays a key role in preserving the personal relationship with God.

Purity comes from pondering: If someone is to walk with God they must guard their steps by God’s word. This means only God’s word is a trustworthy guide to direct our steps into his presence. Without meditating on and pondering Scripture we are in danger of defaulting to human wisdom and worldly philosophy. In other words, without Scripture to safeguard us, we will be consumed with our own thoughts that tend to be self-centered. Memorizing God’s word ensures that we ponder it, giving it a chance to transform our thinking and ultimately our doing.

I invite you to join the elders of GCF in 2018 in memorizing the Fighter Verses. There are wonderful resources for the Fighter Verses, including an app for your smart phone. Additionally, we believe there is a lot of power in a church-wide effort to memorize the same passages each week. Please consider joining us in 2018!

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