“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

Have you ever been in complete darkness without a source of light?

You don’t even have to be in a scary place for the darkness to overwhelm you. You could be out camping with your friends or family and when you get lost in the darkness without a source of light, you discover how oppressive darkness can be.

The darkness engulfs you. You can’t see the hand that is in front of your face. You have no idea what dangers lurk in the darkness. You have no clue where the path to escape the darkness lies. You are stuck.

Unless you’ve been in such darkness, you have no clue how wonderful light is.

God’s word is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path. When you’re in darkness, there is no greater gift than light. Light is so clear, so bright, so illuminating. It shows you where you are, where the obstacles are, where the dangers are, where the pathway to safety is.

Light is awesome! Light is a lifesaver!

God’s word not only keeps us from sin, but God’s word shines light on how we should live. God’s word shows us the way we ought to live.

Just as a lantern or a flashlight lights the way in the darkness, so God’s word lights the way in our world.

Without God’s word, we’re just fumbling our way in the darkness.

Thank God for his word.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11).

For the next several days we will be looking at the role and the place God’s word is to have in the life of disciples.

“I have hidden your word in my heart…”

What does that mean?

The way I memorized this verse as a young man is, “Thy word I have treasured in my heart…”

“I have hidden,” and “I have treasured,” are poetic ways of saying I have memorized.

There are certain truths Christians ought to memorize so that those truths become a part of who you are. This is one of those truths.

We memorize God’s word because it’s God’s word that guides us into truth and it is God’s word that keeps us from sin.

So, here are a couple of verses from the last two days that you ought to memorize:

• “How can a young person keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).
• “Thy word I have treasured in my heart that I might not sin against Thee” (Psalm 119:11).

There is no greater weapon against the lies of the devil than God’s word. Get it in you. Get it emblazoned in your heart.

“How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word” (Psalm 119:9).

The way I memorized this verse as a young man is, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”

While the verse is speaking about a young person or a young man, the truth of this verse applies to all people. The question is, “How can we live in a way that is pure and God-honoring?”

That is a fantastic question.

Thank goodness, God gives us an answer.

How can we live in a way that is pure, a way that is God-honoring? By living our lives according to God’s word.

But here’s the thing: in order to live according to God’s word, we have to know God’s word. We have to spend time with God’s word. We have to memorize God’s word.

It’s interesting that we can remember the storyline of our favorite movies and books. We can often quote by heart some of our favorite lines from television shows and movies. Most sports fans can remember details of specific touchdowns or plays or games.

I wonder how many Christians can recall the storyline of God’s story of salvation. I wonder how many Christians can quote by heart some of their favorite verses from God’s word. I wonder how many details of the life of Jesus Christians can recall.

One of these changes eternal destinies. The other is trivia: it is trivial.

Friends, invest in memorizing, reading, and familiarizing yourselves with the story of God.

How can we live a life that is pure and a life that honors God? The only way to live this life is to live according to God’s word.

Invest, set aside time, be very intentional about prioritizing time with God’s word.

This is a great start. Thank you for reading. This would be a good verse to memorize and to have in your hearts.