In Psalm 119:14 the Psalmist proclaims: “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches.” That is quite a statement about his commitment to the word of God. I wonder how many of us can truly say that?

How much we love money (and the things it can do for us) — and what we will do to gain it. Think of the attention many of us give our finances: constantly checking our bank balances, trading stocks, maintaining our portfolios, looking for ways to make more money. There is nothing wrong in itself with increasing one’s financial health, but the question this Psalm raises for us is: do we give that same kind of attention, and passion, and diligence, and concern, and care to God’s word? Examine your own heart:

— Are you as hungry for your daily word from God as you are for your daily bread?
— Are you as concerned over the purity and orthodoxy of God’s word as you are for maintaining the health of your retirement account?
— Do you make the same kinds of sacrifices to read, memorize, and teach the Bible as you do to earn money? For example: do you find that are you able to get up early in the morning to go to work and earn money, but not to read the Bible?
— Do you get as excited about receiving an insight from God’s word as you do getting a raise at work, or seeing the stock market go up?

Can you say with integrity: “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies as much as in all riches”?