But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart… And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart. (Luke 2:19 & Luke 2:51)
As the shepherds came that night, worshipping the Son whom the angels had told them of, Mary treasured up that experience in her heart. As she listened to how her 12 year old Son was in the synagogue and spoke of being in His Father’s house, Mary didn’t understand it all, but she treasured up that experience in her heart. She kept these things stored to recall all the works and wonders of God she had observed.
Why is this important to treasure things up in our hearts?
If we’re talking about experiences in which we’ve witnessed God working, it’s important because as humans we tend to be a forgetful bunch. Just ask the Israelites who lived in a cycle of seeing great miracles, signs, and wonders of God to forgetting Him and running after idols. Treasuring up these personal experiences in which God has worked in our life helps keep our mind and heart set right on Him. It also builds our faith to treasure them up. Whenever we think back on the wonderful works of God, it serves as a kind of pep rally to our hearts, boosting our faith as we remember His love, faithfulness, and graciousness towards us. It also keeps our hearts treasured on the right things.
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:20-21)
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)
The other thing we should be treasuring up in our hearts is God’s Word. As we walk through life, the only safe way to navigate through is with the Bible, the very breath of God which is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that we’ll be equipped for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16).
Answer these for yourself:
- Do you keep a remembrance of treasured moments that you have experienced God work in your life?
- When was the last time you thought about those treasured moments?
- Do you regularly memorize scripture?
If you’re like me, memorizing nowadays isn’t always something that’s easy, but thanks to journals (paper or computer) and songs, my mind gets extended storage through journaling about those things I want to treasure up and look back on, and memorizing scripture is much easier when it’s with a song.
On a quick side note, if you’re interested in memorizing scripture with songs, a good resource is a website called_ I Am A Wall - iamawall.com._ It’s a project currently in progress and being added to frequently, that lists songs by Bible reference. The project’s goal is to have a song for every part of the Bible, both to memorize scripture and to accompany your studies through the Bible. I have the pleasure of being a part of this project and have been blessed by the other artists and musicians who area part of it too.
However you choose to treasure things up in your heart and memorize God’s word, I pray your time spent doing it would be a blessing to you and effective in bringing you closer in your relationship with God.