JAN 2

Psalm 119:111a
Memorise Jeremiah 6:16
“Ask for the old paths…and walk therein”

Scripture is called the “testimonies” of God because it gives testimony of His wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament – the whole book of Scripture, are “the testimonies of the Lord”. They belong to God’s people, who will take them as their “heritage forever” (Psalm 119:111a), meaning that this is the inheritance or portion that God has bequeathed to every believer for their benefit. There is an emphasis here on the word “taken”: God’s people must willingly accept this heritage by faith, to receive it and use it for themselves, even when others do not.

The churches that faithfully follow the cause of the 16th-century Reformation are described as being “reformed”. The Reformation was a turning away from the unbiblical and corrupt practices of the Roman Catholic Church. It was a turning back to the heritage of true Christianity, lived out by the first disciples and the church in the book of Acts. The godly Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin insisted that the Word of God alone was the only source of truth in matters of faith, and that all other sources of knowledge, such as church leaders or learned scholars, had to submit to this divine source. They were literally ‘reformed’, or formed again, for they had to go back to the very testimonies of God, the Holy Scripture, to discern what God’s instructions concerning all matters of faith and practice are. As a movement, they reformed the church by rejecting all the prevailing false teachings and practices, and restoring all the true doctrines of the Bible.

Dear teen, do you know and appreciate the great heritage that God has given to you? It will show in the way you spend time reading and studying the Scripture. It will also be seen in the way you submit to it and obey all that the Bible teaches us. Value it, treasure it, for they are the testimonies of God through all ages. Do not believe those who criticise Christians for being old-fashioned. The Bible that states for example that marriage is “till death us do part”, is the only antidote to the increasing number of divorces and otherwise breakdown of the marriage institution we see in our society today. The Bible indeed is timeless, not old-fashioned; it is our heritage forever!

Thought: God’s Word is our heavenly treasure.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes that I may know the glorious inheritance that You have given me.