Store Up
Tuesday, April 21
Store Up
My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you straight…for wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Proverbs 2:1, 10
Recently I was reading and felt a tug, a challenge, to do more in my personal devotional time with God. The author was speaking of the late Billy Graham (1918–2018). Billy Graham impact many lives as an ambassador for Christ, he spoke to more people about Jesus than anyone else in human history.
In this reading the author recalled his conversation with Billy Graham. Noting that every single time he listened to him, he felt inspired. In respond to the ultimate question, ‘how do you do it’, Billy Graham said that before he spoke he liked to fill his heart. He would prepare enough material for five talks so that he could speak ‘out of the overflow’. And immediately I was challenged to take it up a notch saying to myself – in order to pour, I have to store.
It is challenging to always have a word of encouragement. Luckily Billy Graham has given me a solution. In order to pour anything into someone else, I must first have something stored within me. This means I cannot stop reading, I cannot stop communication with God, and I cannot stop receiving. According to Jesus, the heart really matters: ‘… out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks’ (Matthew 12:34). How do you store up good things in your heart? Through reading the Word of God.
Do you long to know God better? Would you like to be wiser, more skillful and to have more knowledge and understanding? So much so that you have enough to share? I encourage you to make a lifelong, daily habit of reading God’s word. Today’s reading from the book of Proverbs urges, ‘store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding… For wisdom will enter your heart’ (verses.1–2, 10).
Prayer for today: Loving Father, help me to continue to spend time with you each day and apply the teachings of the Bible to my life. As I do help me to store Your word in my heart and encourage those in time of need. Today we are facing unknown times but this one thing remains true, You are the same yesterday and forever more. Amen.