My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I love them exceedingly. Psalm 119:167

Evangelical Christians affirm the supreme importance of the scriptures in our lives. We understand and nod in agreement when we hear that neglect of our devotional lives and failure to attend to the preaching of God’s Word will cost us spiritually. We cannot but agree that memorizing scripture is a worthy pursuit.

And yet, for all of our “Amens,” concerning the value of the Bible, many struggle to maintain consistent devotions. Many are hit and miss regarding attention to preaching. And few give serious effort to memorizing the Bible. Why?

Because while we know how important the Bible is to our spiritual vitality, few among us really love the Word. No fewer than eight times in Psalm 119, the writer affirms that He loves God’s Word.

How can we get from objective agreement to subjective experience? Fall in love with God’s Word; first by begging Heaven for greater affection for the scriptures, and second by immersing ourselves in them as a sacred duty. In time, duty will give way to affection, which will result in a life transformed by the power of God’s Word.