God thought - Bible #11

Read
How can a young person keep their way pure? By living according to your word. -Psalm 119:9

Reflect
Have you ever changed a tire? With services like OnStar and AAA there's a good chance you haven't. But if you have, you know there is a right way to do it. First, you loosen the lug nuts with the tire iron. Then, you jack up the car until the tire is completely off the ground and finish removing the lug nuts. Then, you remove the tire and put the spare on. Once you put the spare on, you simply tighten the lug nuts and release the jack. Once the jack has been removed, give the lug nuts one more go with the tire iron, and viola....one tire change completed.

There is a right way to change a tire. There is also a wrong way. If you jack up the car and then try to loosen the lug nuts, you may knock the car off the jack. If you don't tighten the lug nuts one last time after you have finished putting on the spare, you run the risk of having your tire come off while you're driving. (That's not good).

Read Psalm 119:9-12. Here is a picture of a young person yearning for God. Look at those powerful emotionally charged phrases: "I seek you with all my heart." "Do not let me stray from your commands." "I have hidden your word in my heart." The author clearly desires to live as God would have him live.

Just as there is a right way to change a tire, there's a right way to live as God wants you to. How? The key is in verse 9: "by living according to God's Word." You cannot live a good or pure life through your own means. Only by living according to God's Word, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can you walk in purity and holiness. There is a way...

Respond
1. How do people try to find goodness and meaning apart from a life devoted to Christ? Is this the right way or the wrong way?

2.Define in your own words what it means to be pure as a 21st century teenager?

3. What verses will you use to help you live "according to God's Word"? Write one or two down, even if you have to search through the Bible to find them.

4. Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you keep the idea of purity front and center in your mind today. Ask for the Spirit's power to avoid temptations that lead you to acting impurely.