十多年前，我和丈夫將聖經分送給青年小組中的成員，並對他們說：「上帝會用這無價之寶來改變你的生命。」那天晚上，有幾個學生相約一起讀約翰福音。我們繼續鼓勵組員在家讀經，也在每週的小組聚會中教導他們。最近，我遇見了其中一位學生。她說：「直到現在，我都還在讀以前你們送給我的那本聖經。」我從她充滿信心的生命裡得到了印證。

上帝不單讓祂的子民有能力，可以閱讀、背誦和記得聖經章節，祂還使我們能藉由「遵行」祂的話語，潔淨自己的行為（詩篇119篇9節）。上帝用祂那不變的真理使我們脫離罪惡，並且改變我們，祂要我們尋求並順服祂（10-11節）。我們可以每天請求上帝幫助我們認識祂，並明白聖經裡上帝所說的話（12-13節）。

當我們意識到按照上帝的方式生活是何等寶貴時，我們就能喜愛祂的教導，「如同喜悅一切的財物」（14-15節）。我們可以像詩人那樣歌頌：「我要在祢的律例中自樂，我不忘記祢的話」（16節）。只要祈求聖靈賜給我們能力，我們就能享受每一次以禱告的心閱讀聖經的時刻。聖經是上帝賜給我們改變生命的禮物。

I greeted our youth group as my husband and I handed out Bibles. “God will use these priceless gifts to change your life,” I said. That night, a few students committed to reading the gospel of John together. We continued inviting the group to read Scripture at home while we taught them during our weekly meetings. More than a decade later, I saw one of our students. “I still use the Bible you gave me,” she said. I saw the evidence in her faith-filled life.

God empowers His people to go beyond reading, reciting, and remembering where to find Bible verses. He enables us to “stay on the path of purity” by living “according to” the Scriptures (Psalm 119:9). God wants us to seek and obey Him as He uses His unchanging truth to free us from sin and change us (vv. 10-11). We can ask God daily to help us know Him and understand what He says in the Bible (vv. 12-13).

When we recognize the priceless value of living God’s way, we can “rejoice” in His instruction “as one rejoices in great riches” (vv. 14-15). Like the psalmist, we can sing, “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (v. 16). As we invite the Holy Spirit to empower us, we can savor each moment spent prayerfully reading the Bible—God’s life-changing gift to us.