By Salt Ashibuogwu
Scripture Read: Psalm 148:1–14, Psalm 149:1–9, Psalm 150:1–6, Nehemiah 13:4–9, Nehemiah 12:44–47, Nehemiah 13:1–3, Psalm 119:1–80
Topic: Love God’s Word and Remove What Does Not Belong
Scripture Anchor: Psalm 119:11 — “I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.”
Lesson I Learned
Today’s reading combines two very important lessons: praise and obedience.
The Psalms begin with a strong call for everything that has breath to praise the Lord. God deserves praise because of who He is, what He has done, and His greatness.
But the reading also shows Nehemiah returning to Jerusalem and discovering that Tobiah had been given space inside the temple. Nehemiah immediately removed him and restored order.
This teaches me that I cannot genuinely honour God while knowingly allowing things that oppose Him to occupy space in my life.
Psalm 119 strengthens this lesson. The writer constantly speaks about loving, meditating on, understanding, and obeying God’s Word. God’s Word is not merely something to read; it should shape my decisions, desires, priorities and behaviour.
One verse that stood out to me is: “Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word.” Even correction and difficult seasons can become tools God uses to bring me back into alignment with Him.
Personal Charge
I must make room for God’s Word in my heart and remove anything that competes with His will.
I will not only praise God with my mouth; I will honour Him through obedience.
I will treasure His Word, meditate on it, allow it to correct me, and act quickly when God shows me something in my life that should not remain.
Prayer
Lord, give me a genuine love for Your Word. Help me to obey You wholeheartedly and remove everything from my life that does not please You. Let my worship, choices and daily living bring honour to You. Amen.