A Lamp Unto My Feet…

Morning!

Raises his cup of coffee

It is Saturday April 5th of 2025.  We have a cloudy and comfortable day forecast with a high of 77.

Do we let God’s Word be a light to our paths?  We continue today in our Psalm 119 challenge.

Psalm 119: 105-112

“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path.  I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments.  I am afflicted very much; revive me, O. LORD, according to Your Word.  Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your judgments.  My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your Law.  The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts.  Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart.  I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.”

Proverbs teaches us to ponder the path of our feet.  We are to think about and consider what we do.  We are to weigh our actions against the Word of God, and to do what we choose to do with Jesus, in prayer.  So… what speed do we work at?  This morning, I’ve been considering that God is outside of time.  He is Eternal.  He is Sovereign.  And when you put those two truths together— considering that we, too, will live forever if we belong to Jesus Christ— the question I ask myself is:  What’s the rush?  That which happens in our lives is either allowed by God or caused directly by Him.  Our good works have been appointed for us to walk in.

And the purpose of everything we go through is our edification and sanctification.  So maybe we need to ask: Are our feet being too swift?

Let’s remind ourselves again…

Romans 12: 1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.  And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect Will of God.”

David begins today’s verses with an idea: The Word as a lamp—a light unto his feet.  The Word shows David the way his feet are to walk. It illuminates the clear path forward, and it lights up the pitfalls that lie ahead— so they can be seen and avoided.  Then David sets his heart.  He vows a vow to God: he will keep God’s Word and statutes.  He offers himself as a living sacrifice to God— and then he prays for revival.  Danger surrounds him.

Threats press in—both to his physical life and to his walk with God.  But even in the midst of it all, by the end of our verses, David commits himself: He will perform God’s Word— to the very end.

Does that sound familiar?

Paul beseeches us, therefore, by the mercies of God, for us to present our bodies, just like David does in our text, a living sacrifice.  Let’s take a moment to look at that word.

Thusia: (Greek)

- Sacrifice (the act or the victim, literally or figuratively)

Sacrifice: (Noun)

- An act of offering to a deity something precious

- Something offered in sacrifice

- Destruction or surrender of something for the sake of something else, something given up or lost

- Loss

So…

What Paul is talking about is us offering our bodies— which includes our minds—to God.  We are to give up the right and the use of our bodies and minds to ourselves (which, if we’re honest, we never truly had a right to in the first place), and instead, we are to offer them to God.  Paul teaches us that our sacrifice is to be holy— which means we are to set apart our bodies from what we had been doing with them and turn them toward the purposes God has for them.  And what have we learned from David?  That the Word of God is a lamp unto our feet.  So if we find ourselves wondering what we’re supposed to be doing— we look to the Word of God to inform us.  We look to, learn from, abide in, and keep God’s Word— so that it may transform us.

Paul continues…

Romans 12: 3-8

“For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.  For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.  Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

So we have resolved the Word will be a lamp unto our feet and a light to our paths.  We have vowed to God that we will follow His Word.  We have begun renewing our minds through Scripture.  How we love the Law!  How we love Jesus and our God!  What are we to do next?

We are to humble ourselves.

We are to think soberly about our faith.  We are to think soberly about our faith because it has been dealt to us, it has been given to us, a certain measure, an amount of faith.  By the Grace of God, our faith, our trust in Him, is given by God.  We hear of that in other places.

Ephesians 2: 8-9

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Paul then begins listing several different spiritual gifts.  I don’t believe this is an exhaustive list— but the more I look at it this morning, especially in light of what we’re studying in Psalm 119, the more I’m seeing one common thread running through all of these gifts: The Word of God.  What is the gift of prophecy?  It’s speaking on behalf of God. And how does one speak on behalf of God?  By speaking God’s Word.  How does one begin to speak God’s Word?  Through studying the Word of God.

Fool, hardy faith is not foolhardy faith.

But we are to think soberly about the measure of faith given to us.  Just as we are to think soberly of the path we walk and what lamp we are using to light it.

Romans 12: 9-21

“Let love be without hypocrisy.  Abhor what is evil.  Cling to what is good.  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.  Be of the same mind toward one another.  Do not set your mind on high things, but associate with the humble.  Do not be wise in your own opinion.  Repay no one evil for evil.  Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.  If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.  Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.  Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

So we love God’s Word.  So we have vowed to let it guide us.  We have promised to love God’s Word with all our heart.  Is that love without hypocrisy yet?

James 1: 2-8

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.  But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.  For let not that man supposed that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

Paul teaches us to abhor what is evil— but have we stopped to consider what God calls evil?  There’s a difference between what we don’t like

and what is actually evil in the eyes of God.  Ideally, those two things would line up.  I don’t like squash.  But squash is not evil.  I don’t like lying.  But lying is evil.  Lying lips are an abomination to God.  So… how are the fountains of our mouths today?

Paul continues by emphasizing the importance of prayer, of communicating with God while we are walking with His Word.  We are to continue in steadfast prayer.

Proskartereo: (Greek)

- To be earnest towards

- To persevere

- be constantly diligent

- To attend assiduously all the exercises

- To adhere closely to

- Attend continually

- Continue in

- Wait on continually

Steadfast: (adjective)

- Firmly fixed in place; immovable; not subject to change

- Firm in belief, determination, or adherence: Loyal

David was steadfast in prayer— at least for the 176 lines of Psalm 119.  How are we doing with that?  I’ve found that it helps me, sometimes, to pray out loud.  It might not be appropriate in every situation,

but when I’m alone, praying aloud helps me stay focused and diligent.  Steadfast prayer.  Prayer that is firmly fixed in place. A behavior we can cling to—because we know it’s good.  We are to continue our walk in the Lord— our walk with the Light of the world, with He who shows the Way, the Truth, and the Life— in steadfast, unceasing, and vigilant prayer.  The goal is to make it a habit, not the exception.  To wait upon the Lord.

Proverbs 4: 20-27

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.  Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.  Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.  Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you.  Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you.  Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.  Do not turn to the right or the left; remove your foot from evil.”

Here at The Sunrise Forest, we firmly believe in walking—not running.  Yes, it can be exciting to walk with Jesus.  God’s Word quickens us.  It gives us understanding.  It brings us back to life.  But it’s good for us to remember: we are all children in the eyes of God.  So today…  Let’s work on getting rid of hypocrisy from our love.  Let’s continue steadfast in prayer.  Let’s look to the Word to be a lamp to our feet.  And let’s get ready— for Jesus to increase our faith!

It’s what we prayed for after all.

I think that’s a good place to start for the day.