“How much do you love” is a question we apply to many different things. Mostly we use it when talking about our love for people. Those closest to us usually are the ones we love most. We gauge the value of our love by what we would do for them. For some, we would give our life. That is the ultimate we could do to show anyone how much we love them. That is what Jesus did for us, and many have given their lives as martyrs for Jesus. They would rather die than deny Him. So, how do we get to the point in our lives that we would die before denying Jesus? The key to being willing to die for someone is to know them well enough that you love them more than you love yourself. How do we get to know Jesus? We must love His word.
In Psalm 119:127-128, the psalmist declares his love for God’s word. He says he loves the word more than the finest gold. In verse 72, it is better to him than thousands of gold and silver. The meaning here is that it is more valuable than any amount of wealth. It is very good to him. The word of God will keep us from hurting others. It will keep us from making mistakes that may have consequences for a lifetime. The word gives us the wisdom to make the right decisions. In verse 105, it is a light that shows us the right way to go. Light exposes the darkness that helps us not stumble. The psalmist sees the value of the word, and nothing is valued above it.
Psalm 119:127-128 “Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold. Therefore, I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way.”
Psalm 119:72 “The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver.”
Psalm 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”
In Hebrews 4:12, the word is declared to be alive! God’s word penetrates the heart and searches out the real thoughts and intents of our hearts. It is a light into the depths of our soul. It reveals to us our self-deception and insincerity. We are all capable, and probably do, deceive ourselves many times in our lives. Too much of the time, we believe what we want to believe. If someone asks us if we love the word of God we would answer “yes,” and never give it another thought. The question should not be do you love the word of God, but rather how much do you love it? Do you love it like you love food, or do you love it more than your comfort or family? To answer this question, you need to look at your habits. How much time do you spend in God’s word? Is God’s word causing you to attend church more often and enjoy worship services? Is it causing you to witness more, and reach out to help others? Do you cherish the time you spend in the study of His word, so much so, that you protect that time and don’t make appointments that could hinder your time in the word?
Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”
Do you feel as the psalmist did in Psalm 19:10? To him, the word was finer than gold, and it was sweeter than any honey. If this is not how you feel, then your love for the word is not what it should be. The only way to increase your love for the word is to read, study, and pray. It will come alive to you and your desire will grow. It’s greater than any love letter you will ever receive, and your love for God will grow faster and deeper than ever before.
Psalm 19:10 “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”
