How to have devotions #2

January 25, 2022 (Wednesday)

 

Last time we looked at how to have devotions. We start with the understanding that the Bible is “perfect,” meaning it is whole and complete. In the Bible we have everything needed to know God and obtain salvation. We also looked at the idea of “trustworthy,” meaning permanent and certain. We know with a high degree of probability that the Bible has been faithfully transmitted.

 

Psalm 19:8 states, “the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” [ESV] Other words David used to describe Scripture are “right,” meaning straight and correct. In other words, there are no unhealthy twists and nothing evil is covered under the disguise of good. “Pure” is another descriptor of Scripture. Here the idea is sincere. In a world that demands transparency, yet relies on “spin,” it is harder to believe anything is sincere.

 

In Psalm 19:9 we find, “the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.” The idea of “clean” relates to purity and cleansing. An uncomfortable truth is proposed by 1 John 1:7, “But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” [NLT] The cleansing from all sin is dependent on, or demonstrated by, “living in the light.” If there is no evidence we are walking in the light, then it is safer to assume we are not cleansed from all sin.

 

Almost doubling back, David describes the Bible as “true,” meaning firm, stable, and reliable. Again, in a world where people make up their own truth and reality has become a matter of interpretation, how are we to know what is true. That’s the thing about spending time in reading and studying the Bible, it becomes like the North Star. It is a fixed point of reference (for those of us in the northern hemisphere) that is always in the same place, no matter where or when we are.

 

These are things we look for when we have devotions. We look for what is straight, guiding us in the correct direction toward safety. If you were on a boat with lots of sharp rocks to crash into, would you choose a dependable map or make up a route based on your own interpretation of truth?

 

If you were swamped and unsure of facts verses fake, are you going to immerse yourself in the speculation or keep your head above water with what is pure? In a world that it seems we are always having to scrub off the scum of navigating through living, wouldn’t it be nice to find a place that is peacefully clean? That’s the charm and power of the Bible.

 

It brings us back to what is important. It offers us an opportunity to achieve our best. It gets us out of the unhealthy ways of thinking blindly and moves us into the light.