Over the Christmas break I have been reading A Wonderful Night by James Snowden. It’s an amazing book about the birth of Christ. The book was written in 1919!! In the book, Mr. Snowden speaks of how modern technology makes us forget about the marvels of our history….things like the invention of the wheel are no longer amazing or astounding, yet in their time these basic inventions changed the world forever!

This happens as we consider God’s hand in history from creation to the birth of Christ. God becoming man… WOW that is amazing! Yet we tell the “Christmas Story” as if it’s a fairy tale or maybe even like we were retelling the events of last week. No passion, no awe. Why? How have we come so far and yet so far away?

I was reading Psalm 199:105 which says: “Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.” As I read the passage, I started thinking about what that would look like. I pictured someone in the night, maybe cold and worn out, trying to find their way. They reach out to light their old oil lamp. The light suddenly dispels the darkness and they can see…not too far but far enough to take the next step…then the next…then the next. That lamp will lead them and provide heat and safety. This is God’s Word.

But what if we don’t have a lamp? What if we don’t have God’s Word? Over and over we read in the Word that we should put God’s Word in our minds and in our hearts! (Deut 6:5-7, 11:18). According to Psalms, “The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom. His mouth talks of justice. The law of God is in his heart. (Psalms 37:30-31).
lightedpath

So how to we do that? How to we light our path? Can we do that if our “lamp” is not close to us or out of reach? Can we light our path when we don’t know how to turn on the lamp? Many people wouldn’t even know how to operate one of those old oil lamps these days! Why would we need to know that? Can’t we just flip a switch and turn on the light or the flashlight? What about God’s Word?

Do you have God’s word out of reach? Or do you have it in your heart and mind? If you were in a situation that needed clarity or help, could you mentally retrieve scripture to stand on? I think that many times we just figure we will call out to God and a miracle will take place…but until then, we’ll just go on living our lives. Sure…that happens sometimes…but that’s not what God commanded us to do. He said to KNOW His Word! To meditate on it. To remember it. To love it.

Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to Me. Seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children

Lately I have found myself doing Google searches to find a scripture.  Am I the only one? I doubt it. Instead of taking the time to open the actual Bible and read it, study it and learn it….I just Google it. Let me say, I am GLAD that I can Google it! It’s an amazing thing to have such access to the Bible. There are so many countries that would punish and even kill someone for even owning a Bible! However, I have to ask….am I fooling myself? What if….what if I depended on Google searches to look up a scripture and never actually memorize it. What if all I do is access it when I “need” it and forget about it when I don’t? What if my internet was down? Well, I guess no Google search then. What if I find myself in a time and place that outlawed the Bible? Would I still be able to study His Word by recalling it in my mind? If I found myself in the honored position of sharing the Good News, would I be able to do that without my new Nexus 7 tablet with me? Could I recall the wonderful scriptures that would help to lead someone to the Lord? Or give them hope in a desperate situation? If I felt I was under a spiritual attack, could I defeat Satan by quoting God’s Word as Jesus did in the wilderness?

Or am I out in a cold and dark night without my lamp?

As I look ahead to a new year, this one thing I resolve: Memorize more of God’s Word! As a part of Classical Conversations (our homeschool group/program/curriculum) we memorize TONS of information each school year. There is some scripture memory as well. However, I know that we are able to memorize so much more! I don’t know what the future holds, but I do know that the world is going to get worse before Christ comes again. Are my children equipped? Can they recall God’s promises in a time of need? This is what I want for them….

A Lighted Path!

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