#DailyDevotion Keep The Word Of God In The Center Of Your Heart
Prov. 4:20-23 20My son, pay attention to what I tell you, and listen to what I say. 21Don’t let these things get out of your sight, but keep them in the center of your heart, 23because they are life to those who find them and health to their whole bodies.
Solomon is seen here perhaps trying to follow the dictates of Deut. 4, “ 5See, as the LORD my God ordered, I teach you laws and regulations so that you will live that way in the land you’re about to enter and take over. 6Keep and do these things; then people will see how wise and understanding you are when they hear about all these laws, and they will say, ‘Surely that’s a great nation of wise and understanding people.” Deut. 6, “6The instructions I give you today write in your mind; 7impress their meaning on your children; talk about them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up.” Deut. 11, “18“Put these words of Mine in your minds and hearts, tie them on your hands to remind you, and let them be bands on your foreheads; 19teach them to your children; talk of them when you sit at home, walk along the road, lie down, and get up.” The LORD was serious with Israel that they do these things so the people would live well in the land and he would be with them.
The Word of the LORD should be always in our sight and kept in the center of our hearts—the center of our being. As Deuteronomy says, we should have the Word of God all around us. It’s rather easy with posters today. Pictures of biblical stories can be on the walls so we can talk about them with our children and grandchildren. We should daily talk about the scriptures with our spouses, children, and friends and discuss what it says. A good place to start is the lessons from the previous Sunday as they are fresh on our minds. You could look ahead to the next Sunday’s readings to discuss them so you are prepared to hear what the preacher is going to say about them. Most importantly, to keep them in the center of our hearts we should do what the Word of God says that we are talking about and studying. I like reading books on martial arts, but if I don’t get up and practice what is taught there I’ll never be able to do it if I need to do so. If you don’t start practicing what you read and discuss in the scriptures how do you think you’ll do when it is required of you to do so?
Solomon says the Word of the LORD is life and gives health to the body. Yes, they give eternal life to those who hear and believe what it says concerning Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus accused the Pharisees in John 5, “37The Father Who sent Me — He testified about Me. You never heard His voice or saw His form. 38You don’t keep His Word within you, because you don’t believe Him Whom He sent. 39You search the Scriptures since you think you have everlasting life in them; and still they testify about Me! 40But you don’t want to come to Me to have life.” To receive life from the Word you must understand they talk about Jesus. As far as health to the body, in one sense, if you live your life according to God’s Word—faith in Christ in all situations in life, not doing evil but good, loving others—you will be mentally and physically well most of the time. More importantly, through faith in Christ, you will be raised bodily on the Last Day to eternal life in new glorious, imperishable, powerful body like Christ’s resurrected body.
Heavenly Father, grant us grace to always have your Word with us, so we may listen, believe and do all that it says that our lives may go well with us through faith in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen.