J.D. Walt: Hit the Bullseye

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I have stored up Your Word in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Psalm 119:11

“The word “remember” is one of the most repeated and significant words in the whole Bible. To remember something is quite different than memorizing something… To remember something is to reattach to it in practical ways. Memorization is a brain activity; remembering requires soul-level engagement…

I like how the English Standard Version translates this text… This “storing up” comes from the Deuteronomy 6:4-9 every day—all the time—when I lay down—when I rise up—when I walk along the road—Word of God way of life…

Note the purpose listed in Psalm 119:11: “that I might not sin against you.” In this instance, the Hebrew word for sin means, “missing the mark.” We tend to read this in a behavioral and moralistic framework (i.e., we hide God’s Word in our hearts to keep us from misbehaving).

There is a better framing.

We hide God’s Word in our hearts so we might hit the bullseye of the target for our lives. We hide God’s Word in our hearts so our lives will be filled with joy and resplendent with the glory of God. We hide God’s Word in our hearts because this is the one in whose image we are created and for whose purposes we are crafted.”

J.D Walt in “Learning to Rememberize the Word of God” The Seedbed Daily Text on 9 January 2020. J.D. Walt is a dear friend. I read this regularly. Click here to subscribe.

Want to hit the bullseye of the target for your life?

Don’t store up treasures on earth, though that is precisely how the world measures success. Store up the Word of God in your heart. As J.D. puts it, this is more than memorizing Scripture, it’s having soul-level engagement with it.

When we store up treasures on earth, our heart always follows them. When we store up the Word in our hearts, it changes how we think and act. One byproduct is that we grow in generosity. We fulfill the purposes for which we were created.

As the year gets going, and as we think about the word ‘remember’ as it relates to our living, giving, serving, and loving, perhaps take a pause as the week begins. Consider what you are doing to store up the Word of God in your heart.