Psalm 119:97 - Meditation That Leads to Life Eternal.
Psalm 119:97 (NIV) Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
INTRODUCTION
In the new birth the heart is brought
into harmony with God, as it is brought into
accord with His law. When this mighty change has
taken place in the sinner, he has passed from
death unto life, from sin unto holiness, from
transgression and rebellion to obedience and loyalty. The
old life of alienation from God has ended; the
new life of reconciliation, of faith and love,
has begun. Then "the righteousness of the law"
will "be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit." Romans 8:4. And the
language of the soul will be: "O how love I Thy law!
it is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97.
"The law of the Lord is perfect,
converting the soul." Psalm 19:7. Without the law, men
have no just conception of the purity and
holiness of God or of their own guilt and
uncleanness. They have no true conviction of sin and feel
no need of repentance. Not seeing their lost
condition as violators of God's law, they do not
realize their need of the atoning blood of Christ.
The hope of salvation is accepted without a
radical change of heart or reformation of life. Thus
superficial conversions abound, and multitudes are
joined to the church who have never been united to
Christ. {GC 468}
COMMENTARY PEARL
An Essential for a Thriving Spiritual Life
Alexander Maclaren said, He who has
the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scriptures
in his hands has all he needs.
Sometimes as Christians, we can find
ourselves being defeated. We can find ourselves losing
ground instead of gaining ground and falling back
into old sins that we thought were a part of our
past.
Thats because we lose sight of the
basics. We need to go back to the very beginning, to
the Word of God. We need to take what God has
given us and let it develop in our lives.
We can find everything we need to know
about God in the pages of the Bible. So if you
want to know God, then you need to open, read,
study, and apply what the Bible teaches. Success or
failure in the Christian life is determined by how
much of the Word of God we get into our lives on
a regular basis and how obedient we are to
it.
But it isnt enough to just read. We
need to comprehend what it is saying. We need to
be hungry for the Word of God.
A growing believer will be a lover of
Gods Word. The psalmist wrote, Oh, how I love
Your law! It is my meditation all the day
(Psalm 119:97 NKJV).
If youre feeling down and listless
spiritually, if fear and anxiety is flooding your life,
you need the Word of God. You need to spend time
in the Word of God every day. Martin Luther
said this about Gods Word: The Bible is
alive. It speaks to me. It has feet. It runs after
me.
That is what God wants to happen in your
life. As you open His Word, it will speak to your
heart. So if you want to be a growing Christian,
you must read, study, and love the Word of God.
[Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
For Every Season
Sometimes Im asked what my favorite
Bible verse is. Its kind of a hard question to
answer, because I have a lot of favorite verses. A
lot depends on what I'm going through at the
moment.
For instance, if Im in a difficult and
worrisome situation, I suppose my favorite verses are
Philippians 4:6"7: Dont worry about anything;
instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you
need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you
will experience Gods peace, which exceeds
anything we can understand. His peace will guard your
hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus
(NLT).
Then again, if things aren't making sense
or seem a bit chaotic, my favorite Scripture
verse at that moment is John 14:1, where Jesus
said, Let not your heart be troubled; you
believe in God, believe also in Me (NKJV).
When things are not making sense, Romans
8:28 is absolutely my go-to verse: And we know
that all things work together for good to those
who love God, to those who are the called
according to His purpose (NKJV).
Overall, if I had to choose just one
verse, then Jeremiah 29:11 is my favorite:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward
you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not
of evil, to give you a future and a hope
(NKJV).
If God had simply said, I know this
single thought that I had about you for a
nanosecond, I would be happy with that, wouldnt
you? But that is not what God says. He said, I
know the thoughts that I think toward you
(emphasis added). Theyre not singular but plural.
Theyre present tense and future tense. God is at
work in our lives, and He has a plan and a
purpose. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
When we speak of faith, there is a
distinction that should be borne in mind. There is a
kind of belief that is wholly distinct from
faith. The existence and power of God, the truth of
His word, are facts that even Satan and his
hosts cannot at heart deny. The Bible says that
"the devils also believe, and tremble;" but this
is not faith. James 2:19. Where there is not
only a belief in God's word, but a submission of
the will to Him; where the heart is yielded to
Him, the affections fixed upon Him, there is
faith - faith that works by love and purifies the
soul. Through this faith the heart is renewed in
the image of God. {SC 63.2}
ONE LINER
119:97"104 Meditation on Gods law
yields the highest wisdom. [NIV SB 2020]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
Psalm 119:97 - How To Meditate All Day Long.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2014/20141103-1706.html
Revelation 2:4, 5 - The Priority of
Relationship.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190406-0901.html
SPECIAL MUSIC VIDEO ON GODS WONDERFUL WORD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouTgX9hcwk4
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Steps to Peace by Billy Graham:
https://stepstopeace.org/
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study
Guides:
https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug
Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
