Keepers of His Word

As I was reading some passages from Psalm 119 this week, I came across a verse I had read many times that never before spoke to me in the way it did on this particular day. In verse 101, the psalmist makes an incredibly profound statement that I have missed for many years. In the midst of declaring an endearing love and adherence to the word of God, a steadfast commitment to the truth of God, many statements about the benefits of keeping the statutes and judgments of the Lord, the psalmist says, 'I have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word.' (Psalm 119:101 - NKJV) A seemingly simple statement that has eluded me in it's depth for quite some time. The purity of what the psalmist writes here in not just that he would turn away from actions that are sinful, but that he would 'keep' the word of god. The action of restraining his feet from evil was in order that he would 'keep' the word of God. Often we stop at not sinning as the final accomplishment in keeping His word, but the truth is that keeping the word of God is much more than just a statement of not sinning or turning from a wicked path. It is allowing the seed of the word to grow within us, producing His purpose. Keeping speaks of: holding as one's own; continuing in; maintaining; adhering to; to have the care, charge, or custody of (these are just a few of the definitions for this word). When the psalmist said that he would 'keep' the word of God it was much more than a simple following of do's and don'ts, it was reaching a place of holding the word of God as something dear that we had been entrusted with in order that we would accomplish it by the grace of God. The result of this type of mindset is that there will always be a tangible manifestation of the inward workings of the Father's word and His Spirit. This takes us far beyond not having sin in our lives as the final goal, to the place of the realization of God's destiny for us. The cry of this verse is not just one of, I'll remain pure at all costs, or I'll not go in the way of unbelievers, but the deeper cry is, I will remain pure and set apart to the end that your word will produce in me what it was sent to do; believing that the very utterances of God will prosper in what they were sent to do (Isaiah 55:10-11). Not just keeping us from sinning, but releasing us to establish His kingdom in every area of our lives and in our world at large.

Today, keep your heart with all diligence (Prov. 4:23), be holy as he is holy (1 Peter 1:15-16), renew your mind (Romans 12:1-2), but remember to do these things not just for the sake of remaining pure or sin-free, but for the sake of his purpose, plan and promise being established in and through our lives as we keep His word.