Guarding Their Way

Good Morning,

Psalm 119:9-16 (NRSV)
How can young people keep their way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
do not let me stray from your commandments.
I treasure your word in my heart,
so that I may not sin against you.
Blessed are you, O LORD;
teach me your statutes.
With my lips I declare all the ordinances of your mouth.
I delight in the way of your decrees as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts,
and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statutes;
I will not forget your word.

The first verse of this section of Scripture seems to be a different theme than the rest. At least it did to me. Then I read it again...and once again. When I thought about it and let all of the verses sink in a bit into my granite skull, I saw how this comes together. Well, at least for me and in my mind.

The question is asked how our young people can keep their ways pure, to continue a good walk with God. We read that the way to do that is to keep that way, to guard their way according to the God's Word. Seems pretty straight forward, right? Then, what about the rest of these verses here today?

Well, what I was shown is that WE, you and I, leaders, parents, mature Christians, have a certain responsibility in helping our young people to guard their way with God. Think about it for a bit. Read what it is that David wrote for us and see if, when we do as he suggests for himself, that our actions and our ways would truly guide our young people.

What if...We seek the Lord with our whole hearts? We do not stray from God's commandments? We treasure the words of the Bible in our hearts so as to keep from sinning? We declare all of the rules we learned when young out loud for the young ones to hear? We delight...truly delight...in God's decrees as much (more?) than any kind of worldly riches? We meditate on what God has given us in His Word? We fix our eyes on Jesus and His ways? We really delight in God's statues, His rules for our lives? We DO NOT forget the words we read when we learn them from the Bible?

Yes, what if we were to live our lives in such a way as we read today? What would our young people learn from us? How would they see that a Christian life ought to be lived? Who would they prefer to follow, learn from, and emulate? Where would they want to spend their time? Why would they want to live any other way when they could see a truly joyous way to live a live and have a life worth living?

Young people guarding their way in the Lord? Yes, it can be done. But what I saw today is that they need role models that live out what it is they are being told is the way they should guard.

We have a responsibility, my friends. You and I as individuals. All of us collectively as congregations of believers. Those who have children and those who do not.

We have to step up and live what we want young people to live.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David