Daily Devotional For Sunday, July 12, 2026
Good morning Southside and it’s Sunday. I pray you are going to go to our church or a church to praise the Lord Jesus Christ. Our daily devotional for today comes from Psalms 119:1-8:
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the LORD. (2) Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their hearts. (3) They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in His paths. (4) You have charged us to keep Your commandments carefully. (5) Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect Your decrees! (6) Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with Your command. (7) As I learn Your righteous regulations, I will thank You by living as I should! (8) I will obey Your decrees. Please don’t give up on me!” (NLT).
What an awesome way to begin this psalm. If you were to read this whole psalm in Hebrew, you would see that it is broken into what we call strophes of eight lines each. The first line of each strophe begins with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first line of the first strophe begins with the “a” of Hebrew called Alef. In the next strophe of 8 lines, it begins with the “b” in Hebrew called Bet. And the rest follow suit. Psalm 119 is an alphabetic acrostic affirming the Torah, God’s laws or instructions and teachings.
The purpose of the psalmist in making Psalm 119 an alphabet acrostic is to help the reader ruminate and marinate on God’s laws, instructions and teachings. Verse 1 reminds the reader that self-direction never helps a person lead a godly life. Joy comes in obeying God’s laws, instructions and teachings. Verse 2 affirms the blessings and joy that comes when we search for God with all our hearts. God is not hiding from us. He can be found through prayer and in His word from the godly. God at times may seem distant but in reality it is us who moved, not the Lord. Read these verses: 1 Chr. 16:11; 1 Chr. 22:19; Ps. 14:2; Isa. 55:6-7; and Pr. 8:17 just to list a few verses.
Verse 3 affirms that the godly not only do what is right, they also avoid doing what is wrong and sinful. They are intentional of staying on the straight path for the Lord. There is no deviation from them. Those who are blameless imitate the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives and character. Verse 4 affirms that God’s law, instructions and teachings are not optional. They are not subjective. We do not get to pick and choose which ones we like, agree with, will obey and those we will not. To do such a thing is not just to reject God’s word, it is to reject God Himself.
Verse 5 the psalmist is open and honest. He confesses that his life is not always consistent with God’s word, laws, instructions and teachings. His honesty comes from humility. He doesn’t blame God, but himself. He is passionate, wishing that he were more consistent and obedient. Verse 6 the psalmist affirms that active disobedience and passive neglect of God’s word leads to shame. He expresses that he desires God’s favor and wants to strive for that.
In verse 7, the psalmist affirms that his desire is to be a student of God’s laws, instructions and teachings so that he can learn them and apply. This means he is willing to study deeply, not superficially God’s laws, instructions and teachings. His desire is to dive deep, not just snorkel in the Word. In verse 8, the psalmist resolves to live and apply what he has learned and he begs God not to give up on him as he struggles to grow and mature in his relationship with the Lord. He admits he will fail and sin and begs the Lord not to abandon him.
Reflection Assignment: As you read through the first 8 verses, which one do you need to focus on more than the others and why? Would you say you are a student of God’s Word, where you prefer to scuba dive into it rather than snorkel in it. Why or why not? Are you more consistent to obey God’s word today than 5 years ago or a year ago? Why or why not?
Scripture To Meditate On: Psalm 119:11, “Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I want to cherish Your word. I want to drink and eat from Your word. I want depth, not superficiality. I want to know You and the power of Your resurrection through Your word. Give me passion for You and Your word. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly