What’s in Your Pantry? Why Memorizing Scripture Feeds Your Family
There’s a phrase I’ve been hearing a lot lately on a credit card commercial: “What’s in your wallet?”
As I sat down to write this blog about the benefits of memorizing scripture, that phrase came into my mind.
The Bible tells us God’s Word does not return void: “So My Word which goes from My mouth will not return to Me empty. It will do what I want it to do, and will carry out My plan well.” – Isaiah 55:11 (NLV)
There are days when this assurance is truly my life preserver. If my pantry is out of bread, I go to the store and get some bread. When I hand the cashier some cash (from my wallet), I have the assurance of knowing this cash is good for the bread I’m taking home. So the cash has not only given me peace of mind in my circumstance, but it has also supplied my need when using it. It’s like that with the Word of God abiding in my heart – I know He backs it up!
“So,” you may say… “If I just toss a scripture into the air then my problem is magically fixed, like a few dollar bills allows you to take the bread home?”
No. First of all, Jesus said “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). It is actually knowing Jesus, believing in Him and having true relationship with Him, that is the best bread we could ever have. It’s the bread that always feeds us and never runs out, no matter what we are going through in life.
Second, God is not a vending machine, nor is His Word intended to be. It’s how we get to know Him – His thoughts; His nature; His character; His will for our lives. If I found an old diary left by my great-grandmother and decided to read it, I would get to know my great-grandmother. If I want to know God, why would I not read His Word that is available to me? And the more I’ve gotten to know Him, the more I want to store up His Word in the pantry of my heart, because it actually changes my heart.
Third, the Bible says “My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:19). I may not get what I want, but He always gives me what I need. “His riches” can mean material provision, yes. But “His riches” are so much greater than material things. Trials and tragedies still happen, because we live in a fallen world. He gives me what I need in the midst of them. His Word stored in my heart never returns void. It is hope; it is comfort; it is encouragement; it is peace that surpasses the circumstances. It is strength in the midst of weakness, joy in the midst of pain, life in the midst of death.
These are just a few reasons why “storing up” God’s Word helps not only me, but my family, too. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he (Proverbs 23:7, emphasis added). If my heart is full of God’s Word, memorized and stored up, then I have it to give to my family and others around me. Just as the food in our pantry is there for our whole family, so is the ‘food’ gathered in my heart abundant to share.
So, what’s in your pantry?
If you’ve never had “memorizing scripture” on your grocery or ‘to do’ list, start adding it now! It’s the best new habit you could ever acquire. It will feed you; it will bless you; it will change you. And, it will feed and bless your family. Click here for some tips on how to memorize scripture.