JANUARY 23, Psalm 119:11 

“That was really scary!” exclaimed Brian. Chris nodded. A minor accident that afternoon was the main topic of conversation at the dining table. They had been in the car with Mother, and the brakes had failed when they came to the stop sign. The car had kept going slowly ahead, and they had bumped into the car that was ahead of them.

“Chris put down his napkin. “I am done... May I be excused?” “Me too?” asked Brian quickly.

“Not yet,” said Dad as he reached for the Bible. “This accident reminds me of something. Just like car maintenance is very important and should not be put off, the maintenance of our spiritual lives should not be put off either. It is even more important. If we don’t maintain a close walk with the Lord, our spiritual brakes might fail when we need to apply them.”

“Our spiritual brakes?” Chris asked, puzzled.

Dad nodded. “Memorising God’s Word is one of the best ways to keep our ‘spiritual brakes’ in working order,” he said. “When we do that, we are likely to recall a verse that cautions us and stops us from giving in to temptation. We are more likely to apply our ‘spiritual brakes’ when they are needed.

Brian nudged Chris under the table with his foot. He was sure they were both remembering something that had happened that afternoon.They had gone over to play with Mark, the next door neighbour. When Mark had shown them a DVD and suggested they watch it, the boys glanced uneasily at one another. Judging from the title and the picture on the jacket, they knew there would probably be language and scenes that would not be pleasing to God. Both felt they shouldn’t watch it. But when Mark slipped the disc into the DVD player, neither of the boys said anything. And although they winced now and then at the language they heard, they were soon engrossed in the story. The boys knew their “spiritual brakes” had failed that afternoon.

Brian spoke up and confessed that he and Chris had watched an unwholesome video. Dad solemnly prayed with the repentant boys and then opened his Bible. “Let’s read and discuss a few verses from God’s Word tonight, and let’s memorise one too,” he said.

Thought: Are your “spiritual brakes” in good working order?

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to memorise Bible verses so that Your Word can continue to strengthen my faith. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.