Read Psalm 119:105-112 105Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. 106I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to keep your righteous rules. 107I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word! 108Accept my freewill offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your rules. 109I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. 110The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. 111Your testimonies are my heritage forever, for they are the joy of my heart. 112I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end.
As Jesus faced the great wilderness temptation, we can almost hear him reciting these verses over and over in his head and heart. Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The Enemy wanted him to choose an easier road. Satan afflicted Jesus for 40 days and nights with the temptation to gain the world by selling his soul.
Praise God, Jesus did not forget the law, the Torah, of God. Praise God, Jesus did not stray from his Father’s precepts. Praise God, Jesus found his joy in the testimonies of the Lord in Deuteronomy of all places (when’s the last time we found our joy in Deuteronomy). Praise God, Jesus inclined his heart to the statutes of the living God, and not to the sensuality of the eyes, the desire of the flesh, and the pride of life.
The Christ who lives in us overcame by the word. His lamp. His light was not his own inner strength, or personal convictions. Jesus didn’t follow his heart, or be true to himself. He trusted the word. Praise God for this faith and faithfulness of Christ. Our life literally depended on it.
To live is Christ is to trust the word. To let the word of God guide you like a lamp to the living Word of God. The Word who is alive in your heart lighting your path. Guiding your steps.
Do you know the word? The Word?
Do you trust the word? The Word?
Do you follow the word? The Word?
You: How well do you know the word? The Word?
You in Christ: How does our union with Christ give us an internal desire to follow the Word of God? Can you sense this desire in your own heart?
Christ in you: Where might you need to follow the Word today, rather than your own heart?
Pray: Spirit, guide me by your word to the living Word today. Help me know Christ through every jot and tittle. Keep me from trusting in anything above what you have said. Amen.
To Live is Christ 