Read Psalm 119:1-8
What would your Christian life be like if you had no Bible? Would that make any difference? After all, what is the Bible supposed to do for our lives?
God gives us some answers to those questions in this Psalm. Almost every verse in this long psalm in some way refers to the Word of God. The psalm is arranged according to the Hebrew alphabet. The first eight verses all begin with the Hebrew letter aleph; the next eight verses start with beth; the next eight, gimel; and so on. It's as though God were saying, "Here are the ABCs of how to use the Word of God in your life."
"Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!" (v. 1). Undefiled means "people who are blameless, those who have integrity." Integrity is the opposite of duplicity and hypocrisy, which is the pretense to be something we are not. If we have integrity, our whole lives are built around the Word of God.
The psalmist says, "Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!" (v. 2). Are you wholeheartedly into the Word of God? In the Bible, heart refers to the inner person, and that includes the mind. "I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments" (v. 7). It also includes the will. "I will keep Your statutes!" (v. 8). In other words, when you give your whole heart, mind and will to the Word of God, it starts to put your life together. Is your life or your home "falling apart" today? Turn to the Word of God.
The Bible has one author--God. It has one theme--Jesus Christ. It has one message--the salvation of your soul. And it has one blessing to bring--a life of integrity.
* * *
The Word of God is a powerful spiritual resource. Its truth feeds your soul. As you walk in the life of faith, the Holy Spirit uses the Bible to minister to you. Get into the Word and allow it to make you whole and build integrity into your life.
Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group (bakerpublishinggroup.com). Used by permission. All rights to this material are reserved. Material is not to be reproduced, scanned, copied, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission from Baker Publishing Group.