“How can young people keep their lives pure? By obeying your commands. … Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:9,105, GNT

 

In all the years that I have been working for the Bible Society, very few things have given me more pleasure than the project to give Bibles to Grade 7 learners. Since I was a boy, the two verses for today have been very important because the Word of God has always been an indispensable guide to me. That is why I love to give Bibles to children.

 

The Bibles for Grade 7 learners project is run in two ways. First, in every region, and secondly, by a group of Christian motorbike enthusiasts called the Word Riders. For the past 11 years, it has been my privilege to accompany them to hundreds of schools in all the provinces of our country every year. I will never forget the pure joy on the faces of thousands of young people the moment when they were able to hold their very first Bible in their hands.

 

The reason why it is so important for every person to have his/her own Bible is to be seen in these two verses from Psalm 119. Without God’s Word as a guide, we will never know how best to serve him. The poet of this psalm used a very beautiful word, which we translate with the word “pure”, to show that if we truly want to serve God, there is no room for falsehood, no place for hidden sins or errors. A life in the service of God should be pure.

 

The big question is whether it is at all possible to live such a life. We all know that to walk such a path is often very difficult. That is why we need the Word of God as a bright lamp to be the light upon our path, especially when we lose our way on the dark road of illness, loss, depression, little faith or even loss of faith. We all stumble many times on the sometimes dark road that we call life, but his Word will always give more than enough light so that we will not fall away from the grace of our God.

 

Prayer: How can we ever be grateful enough for your Word that makes our journey through life so clear. Amen