Soaking Up Scripture

There's a story in the life of F.B. Meyer that has always challenged me, friends. The saintly Meyer was speaking at a conference with C.T. Studd, and they were staying at the same residence. Meyer could not sleep and went down the hall and saw light beneath the door of C.T. Studd's room at 4 in the morning.

Later that day, he asked the young C.T. Studd why he was up so early, and Studd replied, I was meditating on a scripture and asking the Lord if it was real in my life, and if not, to make that verse a living reality in my life. And that, friends, is the focus of our topic today. The title of my message is Soaking Up Scripture, and my text can be found in the book of Psalms.

You can turn in your Bibles there now, friends. We will be in Psalm 101. And I want to read us this Psalm of David and use it as our study and exercise today.

Here now is the Word of God, and may the Spirit of the Lord be pleased to attend the reading of His Holy Word. I will sing of mercy and judgment unto thee, O Lord, will I sing. I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.

Oh, when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. I hate the work of them that turn aside.

It shall cleave not to me. I will stop there, friends. This Psalm of David fits well into our study today, and I want to list several aspects as we study it, because it can be a study help to reading God's Word.

It'll be a profitable exercise for us to do the following in regard to the Word of God, and in our desire to be more Christlike in our walk with Him. As we study Scripture, don't just go through the Word of God, but ask God to make His Word go through you. We have in our passage today, in the first three verses, four times where David says, I will, displaying to the Almighty His heart's intention to do these stated things.

David says, I will sing of mercy and judgment. I like what Matthew Henry, the Bible commenter, has to say on this verse. He says, Oh, whatever our outward condition, neither the laughter of a prosperous condition, nor the tears of an inflicted condition, must put us out of tune for sacred songs.

I like that, don't you, friends? So here in verse one, David is making a vow unto God to do a thing, to sing praises to Him, no matter His outward circumstances. Next, David states, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way, and he adds, I will walk within my house with a perfect heart, meaning that when the eyes of the world are off of him, he will behave himself wisely and walk before his God with a perfect heart, in obedience to Him, under the watchful eye of the Almighty. Then David states, I will set no wicked thing before my eyes, meaning he will practice no evil himself, but be diligent in not setting any wicked thing before his eyes.

I guess King David didn't have TV in those days. Well, let's take this passage, friends, and use it in a practical application in our lives, and it is here where our study begins today. I want to give us a few study guides in Scripture that can help us be more Christlike and more in harmony with God's will for our life as we walk with Him along the narrow way, and let us do what C.T. Studd was doing as he poured over the Word of God.

Our title today is Soaking Up Scripture, and I want you, friend, to think of a sponge. A sponge is a very lightweight item that is, until you soak it in water, then it becomes heavy, and it will leak out that moisture until it is wrung out or dried, and we want to be like that sponge as we study the Word of God and ask Him to let His Word go through us in a transforming way where we both experience Him and experience change from Him as we go deeper with God, and to leak like that sponge what we have soaked up and share it with others to encourage them to live more for God in the gospel. I always try to make it a point to share with my daughter what I learned in God's Word in my daily quiet time.

This helps me not to forget it, and it helps her to better understand God and His Word as well, so I recommend to you, friend, that you share with others what God teaches you out of His Word. Share it with a family member if you can. Number one, meditate upon God's Word.

Pour over it and let it soak in. Number two, and then be honest before God and see if this verse is true in my life. If not, number three, it's to ask God to make this verse of His Word a living reality in my life, that we prayerfully ask God to make it true in our daily walk with Him.

An example is our passage today from Psalm 101. Can we say with David, I will sing of mercy and judgment? Will we sing of God's deliverances for us, or will we soon forget them? Will we grumble and complain of our dire circumstance or trial that we're in, or will we accept it providentially and still sing praises of God for it? Is not Romans 8 28 true? And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. Can we ask God to make this verse a living reality in our lives? Next, David says, I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way.

And he adds more specifically, I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. Friend, is this the desire of your heart as well? Do you hunger for a closer walk with God in obedience to Him, knowing that you were never out of His eye 24 7? Next, David says, I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. Is this true in your life, friend? Do you desire it to be true? Then ask God to make this verse a living reality in your life by His power and deliverance from sin.

So exercise number one is to meditate, to pour over and soak up God's Word. Number two is to see if the verse is true in our own life. And thirdly, if not, to ask God to make it true in our life as a living reality in our daily walk with Him.

Then lastly, number four is, memorize the verse or passage and contemplate upon it daily. I did this recently as I was sitting in a dentist chair having root canal surgery. I kept focusing on and repeating to myself in my mind Psalm 25 15, mine eyes are ever toward the Lord, for He shall pluck my feet out of the net.

It got me through, friends. And this way of studying God's Word will get you through any difficulty as well. I can promise you that from personal experience.

Let us be like the psalmist and be more diligent to hide God's Word in our hearts so we won't sin against Him. Let us pray.