January 11

God’s Word is of incalculable value. It is a treasure to be hidden in our hearts, but it is also intended that we spend it upon others as well. In Deuteronomy 11:18-20, we are told that the Lord expects us to not only “fix these words of Mine in your hearts and minds,” but also, “talk about them when you sit in your house and when you are traveling the highways. Ponder them when you lie down and when you rise up…”

This brief passage encompasses a large responsibility that the Lord places upon those who are His own. His Word is not intended to be merely an honored volume that adorns our coffee table. First and foremost, He intends that we fix His Word in our hearts and minds. We are to be filled with His Word. If it is established within our hearts, the seat of our emotions, our motives will be pure. If it is established within our minds, we will have wisdom for all life’s decisions.

Yet this is not the extent of His expectation. When we have fixed the Word of God within ourselves, we are then to share it with others. We know God expects fathers especially to be prophets and priests over their families. It is a two-fold responsibility, both of which require our understanding of the power of the Word. Yet it doesn’t end with the family. We are also to be bold in proclaiming the truths of the Word in the highways and by-ways of life.

A seat partner on an airplane should not debark the plane without having heard Christ’s message of salvation. Co-workers should be elucidated as to the power of Christ’s incalculable gift. If we comply with the admonition to ponder them on our couch and upon arising, we will indeed be so steeped in His glorious Word that it shall radiate from us—through our conversation and through the living epistle of our lives!