Bible Reading: Psalm 119:9-16
“How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” (Psalm 119:9)
Purity can almost be said to be absent in today’s culture. This is true for purity concerning holy and godly living as well as purity in the sexual sense. Our generation does not like the idea of holy pious lives. You have probably heard those around you say, “why do you have like an angel? Nobody’s perfect”.
We don’t have to look far because we also struggle with it. On one side, God’s Word pulls us towards holy living. On the other side, the world tugs us offering us shiny pearls of pleasure in anything but God. We often believe the lie, “No one can act Christian all the time. You can’t relate everything to God”. On the other hand, we believe the lie, “I’ll never be able to be holy like so and so. I struggle with sins. I’m not good enough. God wouldn’t accept me”.
Satan entices us with sinful lusts for pride, acceptance, relationships, friends, sex, addictions to drugs, pornography, even gaming at times. All of us struggle. Our sinful hearts leap at Satan’s candy. Yet, at the same time, our conscience tugs us back towards God’s will. We all know the things that we ought to do. We know what our Christian life should look like. However, we still struggle.
The hardship might be different for everyone. For some, you might struggle with impure thoughts and malice. Others might battle with insecurity, loneliness and the fear of missing out. Still, others might be frustrated at the hours they throw away playing games, watching youtube and scrolling through social media. Introspect yourself. Where do you struggle the most?
Amongst the impurities we all struggle with, God offers us a trusted remedy. How are we to have pure and holy lives? How can we endure such a thing and leave behind our struggles and sinful desires?
By guarding our way by God’s Word. This does not mean that we must constrain and bind ourselves to obey the laws of the Scripture. Many think this is what it means to guard our lives with God’s Word. Those who fail to understand that the Bible is not about legalistic obedience have surely never read the Bible itself.
Guarding our way by God’s Word means growing to know God and who He is. It is about getting to know our Creator, who loved us so much to the point of dying for our sins on the cross. Many complain about why they keep falling back into a life of sin. The question is simple. Who or what do you really seek to be satisfied? What gives you the most happiness in life?
Many profess to be Christians who love God. But how many really love Him? How many really long for a relationship with Him? If you loved God, you would value Him above all things. He would be the greatest desire of your heart and the first thing that excites you every day.
The young man who seeks God’s Word and a relationship with God Himself delights most joyously in living holy and pure lives before God. Test yourself. Where do you find the most delightful and joyous moments in your life? Is it in God or something else?
Reading God’s Word is the first step to purity. Not only theoretical reading but also reading to develop a personal growing relationship with God. Commit ourselves and see God plant hearts that are soft. By nature, if we grow to know God, our desires for worldly things will fade because our love for purity and holiness will grow. God did not come to fix our problems. He came that we would know Him. That is the root issue and remedy for our society.
Only the Holy Spirit can do such things. Pray that He works in our hearts to see this truth. Pray that God opens a door for us to understand who we are as sinners and the beauty of holiness when we guard it in God’s Word.
Lord, please help me seek You with a whole heart. Give me love and joy for Your Word. Please forgive my iniquities and sins. I have been deceived by Satan’s tricks once again. Teach me that the only solid foundation is Your Word, and Your Word is what I need. Help me to keep my way pure and in Your truth in all aspects of my life. I can’t do that myself, and I fail many times. Thank You, God, that You are loving and have given us Your Word that we might know You. In Jesus’ name, amen.