The Biblical Christmas story is absolutely fascinating – better than the best of any Hollywood, Hallmark, or Disney production! Every detail has been singing out ageless messages, inspiring countless sermons and transforming generations of lives down through the centuries.
Recently, I have been thinking on a passage in Luke which reveals Mary’s humble respect and submission to God and how she treasured His Word.
But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart (Luke 2:19 NIV).
Where it says that Mary treasured all these “things”, it is of particular interest to me that the Greek word translated as “things” is “Rhema”. Rhema is related to what we would call the “spoken word” and in most Bibles versions it is usually translated as “word” or “sayings.” Notice how the Amplified Bible makes this distinction:
But Mary was keeping within herself all these things (sayings), weighing and pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19 Amplified).
There was someone else who also treasured up God’s “Rhema” words in spite of everything he had been going through:
I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food (Job 23:12 NKJV).
When you are crazy in love with a certain kind of food (not just a certain preparation of that food, i.e., beef vs. “fajitas”), then you will be passionate in finding new ways to prepare that food in order to enjoy it more. And you can’t keep a good thing to yourself! You’ll always be looking to share your latest recipes and preparations with others.
That’s how I see God’s Word, the Bible – I love to find new ways to prepare and “eat it.” Years ago, I developed and organized my own memory verse system, Bible reading program, and Christian Character Scriptures all which I have placed in my online Google Calendars so that I have continual access to them on my computer and mobile devices. I especially love my iPhone Bible App (www.olivetree.com) which allows me to keep track of my reading, to type in notes, and to use an infinite number of “highlighters” which are available in all the Bible translations in this App (I have 15 so far!). I can “serve up” a new recipe of my favorite “food” wherever I am and whatever I am doing – and I love sharing it with others – even by writing a blog like this.
In my longing to be a good husband and father, it has always been my priority to be a living inspiration (first of all, by my own life’s example) of what it means to treasure God’s Word (reading, studying, memorizing).
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is a key Scripture passage that my family and I have memorized:
Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
This passage contains the Greatest Commandment (see Mark 12:28-34) which is to love God with everything we are and everything we have. But the key is to notice that the very next verse immediately connects the Great Commandment with the command to cherish and treasure His Word! So, how do we fulfill the Great Commandment? By treasuring God’s Word. How do we treasure God’s Word? By teaching it to our children, talking about it and writing it whenever and wherever we are!
When you treasure His Word (teach it, speak it, bind it, write it…), it will never be reduced to an inactive book sitting on a shelf, or some textbook to carry to church. The Bible is the only book that “speaks” to you as you read it! The Bible is a Living Book! God’s Word is “living and enduring” (1 Peter 1:23)! God’s Word speaks! Listen to this portion from Proverbs where a father exhorts his son about treasuring the Word:
My son, observe the commandment of your father And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;
Bind them continually on your heart; Tie them around your neck.
When you walk about, they will GUIDE you; When you sleep, they will WATCH over you; And when you awake, they will TALK to you.
For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light (compare Psalm 119:105); And reproofs for discipline are the way of life (Proverbs 6:20-23 NASB).
Here is a wonderful promise: When we take care to treasure up God’s Word, that very Word will take care of us! Hallelujah!
During this Christmas season, may God freshly inspire us to cherish His Word!
