A MOTTO FOR LIFE

Let the words of my mouth,

and the meditation of my heart,

be acceptable in thy sight,

O Lord, my strength, and

my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14

One of the great regrets in walking with the Lord these many years is that I have never memorized Scripture like I should. The older I get, the more I join others my age using the “age” excuse. However, I have come to know that I memorize things I really want to memorize. I have memorized words to hymns that I can sing word perfect. There are recipes I have by heart right down to ¼ tsp of salt. I also know of things I memorized when a child that I can still recall and so can you.

There are so many things we have memorized through the years that is amazing. The first verse I ever memorized as a little girl was John 3:16 and it may have been the same for you. In Vacation Bible School, I memorized many verses that mostly went by the wayside mostly because they didn't seem to apply to life so didn't repeat them very much.

Our small church had just one youth group. When I went into seventh grade, I thought I was as big as the world. Margie and Gerald Randolph were our youth group leaders. I think their encouragement was that they had two sons in the group. Through those six years, our youth group members became very close. I think we were closer than most we were with others at school. We met every Sunday night before the service. We went on outings and the Randolph home was always open to us on weekends.

With all of the variety there was for us as a group, there was one thing that never changed from week to week. It was standard, expected and carried out faithfully every Sunday night when our youth meeting was over. At the end of our meeting, we stood in a large circle, holding hands and repeated Psalm 19:14 and putting an “Amen” on the end of the verse. I must admit that it became routine, almost a ritual that didn't have as much meaning for me most of the time. However, little did I know that Psalm 19:14 was so etched in my mind and heart that I could never forget that verse. It's a verse with great meaning if we choose to regard it that way. I can't tell you how often, even in my “grown up” days that I find myself repeating that verse to myself. There's no one around to hold hands with, no group but that's okay.

As I often do, I'd like to pick that verse apart. Perhaps you would like to memorize it for those days when frustration sets in.

Let the words of my mouth,

Words are so common to us that we think very little about them as they roll off of our tongues. The ability to just speak anything is such a blessing. There are those who are handicapped, who don't have the gift of speech. I think of so many times I have abused the privilege of being able to have the privilege of utterance.

And the meditations of my heart,

This is where those words begin...in the heart. Whatever is in the heart is going to come out through the mouth. Jesus spoke of how a fountain doesn't give off salty and fresh water at once. If we desire purity of speech, we must desire purity of heart first. Meditation occurs when we ponder, think about things. More of that goes on that our speaking if there was a way to measure it. What we meditate upon becomes a part of us; it sinks very deeply into our very spirits. This verse would be a good one to recite when our thought life is troubling.

Be acceptable in thy sight,

If something is acceptable, it's good and meets a positive standard. For God to accept our meditation, it must be pure and yes, holy.

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer...help me to never forget the meaning of this precious verse, to honor you in my words and thoughts, seeking to please you in everything I say and do. In Jesus' precious name....Amen