1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,799 Speaker 1: You're listening to daily devotions with Pastor John I'm john 4 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:21,200 Speaker 1: Stongey and today's devotion is inspired by Psalm one nineteen 5 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: verse seven, which says, I will praise you with an 6 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: upright heart when I learn your righteous rules? What bothers 7 00:00:32,560 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 1: your conscience? What troubles you or keeps you up at night? 8 00:00:36,880 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 1: Is there any aspect of your life that you'd rather 9 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:42,440 Speaker 1: not think about, because if you thought about it, you'd 10 00:00:42,479 --> 00:00:45,479 Speaker 1: have to make changes. What do you do when you 11 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: come across something in God's Word that contradicts what you 12 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: would naturally prefer to believe? Do you ignore it or 13 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,520 Speaker 1: embrace it? What happens within you when you ignore it? 14 00:00:58,920 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: The Word of God points our hearts towards Jesus Christ. 15 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,520 Speaker 1: We're encouraged to trust Jesus and bring him glory. When 16 00:01:07,560 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: we embrace the teaching of God's Word and rely on 17 00:01:10,600 --> 00:01:14,720 Speaker 1: Christ's strength to put it into practice, our hearts and 18 00:01:14,800 --> 00:01:19,320 Speaker 1: our consciences experience a sense of peace in knowing we've 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,800 Speaker 1: been obedient to the Lord's leading. When we ignore or 20 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:28,120 Speaker 1: reject the teaching of God's word. Our hearts and consciences 21 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,880 Speaker 1: trouble us until the moment we repent of our rebellion 22 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:36,840 Speaker 1: and unbelief. As people who have been blessed to have 23 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:41,039 Speaker 1: access to the wisdom and counsel of God's word, Let's 24 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:44,319 Speaker 1: not neglect this gift we've been given. Let's welcome the 25 00:01:44,400 --> 00:01:47,960 Speaker 1: teaching of God's Word into our lives. Let's embrace the 26 00:01:48,040 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: moments when it challenges cultural and personal preferences instead of 27 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: idolizing our own opinions. Let's honor Jesus by keeping his 28 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: word joyfully. Let's pray, Lord, we thank you for your word, 29 00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: and we thank you for the privilege that it is 30 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:09,760 Speaker 1: to be able to look at this brief portion of 31 00:02:09,800 --> 00:02:13,240 Speaker 1: scripture from the Book of Psalms. And Lord, when we 32 00:02:13,280 --> 00:02:16,040 Speaker 1: look at this portion of your word, we're reminded to 33 00:02:16,080 --> 00:02:21,160 Speaker 1: be people who value the teaching of your word. Your 34 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:26,000 Speaker 1: word gives us counsel, Your word gives us wisdom. Your 35 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: word is pointing us directly toward You. And Lord, we 36 00:02:30,200 --> 00:02:32,280 Speaker 1: know that throughout the course of our lives we deal 37 00:02:32,320 --> 00:02:36,400 Speaker 1: with all sorts of influences. Things we read, things we see, 38 00:02:36,800 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: things we think about, things we hear from others. Some 39 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:43,600 Speaker 1: of the council we receive is good, but much of 40 00:02:43,639 --> 00:02:46,600 Speaker 1: the council we receive in this world does not align 41 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: with the teaching of your word. So Lord, when we 42 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,680 Speaker 1: see that contrast, we pray that we would embrace the 43 00:02:53,720 --> 00:02:57,720 Speaker 1: teaching of your word, and that we would shun worldliness, 44 00:02:58,720 --> 00:03:02,239 Speaker 1: that we wouldn't allow the patterns and priorities of this world, 45 00:03:02,280 --> 00:03:05,440 Speaker 1: are the values of this world to cloud our minds 46 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:08,840 Speaker 1: any longer. We want to be people who look at 47 00:03:08,880 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: your word and take it seriously and joyfully apply it 48 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 1: to our lives, knowing that it's counsel that comes directly 49 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: from you. So we pray that we would welcome it. 50 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:22,160 Speaker 1: We pray that we would embrace it. We pray that 51 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: we would allow your word to challenge us, even in 52 00:03:25,200 --> 00:03:28,440 Speaker 1: ways that we don't even feel quite ready to be challenged. 53 00:03:29,400 --> 00:03:32,560 Speaker 1: But Lord, we don't want to idolize our opinions. We 54 00:03:32,600 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: don't want to go through life acting as if we're 55 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:39,360 Speaker 1: the standard by which all truth gets measured. You're the standard, 56 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:44,160 Speaker 1: and your word reveals your will and your heart to us. 57 00:03:45,080 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: Thank you, Father for giving us access to your scripture, 58 00:03:48,480 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: and thank you for empowering us through faith in your 59 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,240 Speaker 1: son Jesus Christ, to actually live out what we're reading 60 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: in it. We're grateful for all of these things, and 61 00:03:59,040 --> 00:04:02,720 Speaker 1: we commit ourselves end this day to your care. Pray 62 00:04:02,800 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 1: this all in Jesus' name. Amen,