"A Life of Obedience to God"
How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to Your Word. Psalm 119:9
There are many ways of perverting and subverting the truth. One way was indicated by a university researcher who wrote, "Television emphasizes the deviant, so that it becomes normal." Abnormal behavior is represented as perfectly in order.
Another way of obscuring truth is the attempt to replace it with an outright lie. The devil tried it in beautiful paradise when he flatly contradicted God: "You will not surely die" (Genesis 3:4). At another time, in a most desolate region, he suggested to Jesus that He was not the Son of God. Satan perverts the truth also about himself. He, the prince of darkness, often poses "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). The devil teaches people to pervert the truth, as Saint Paul writes in the opening chapter of Romans: "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25).
We come back to the same theme: Deviant behavior is claimed to be normal. The same researcher writes, "Our culture used to give us boundaries. Today, there are no boundaries. Nothing is forbidden anymore." Because society no longer lays down moral and ethical guidelines for conduct and for making right choices, it becomes all the more important for us to study God's Word and follow it. The psalmist asks, "How can a young man keep his way pure?" He replies, "By living according to Your Word" (Psalm 119:9). This is sound advice for every Christian, regardless of age or gender. Saint Paul writes to young Timothy that Holy Scripture "is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Through the Gospel we are drawn closer to Jesus Christ. He declared His love for us by setting an example of obedience to God and then offering up His life to bring us into communion with God. Drawn by this saving love, we gladly walk in His commandments.
PRAYER: Thank You, Lord God, for revealing to me the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ as taught in Holy Scripture. Amen.
(Devotions from "With Jesus Every Day" copyright 1997, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time emailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: Jeremiah 6, 11-12 Acts 27:27-44
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