Committing His Word to Heart

"It was this... intention that made the primitive Christians such eminent instances of piety....

And if you will here stop and ask yourself why you are not pious as the primitive Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it."

~ William Law, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life

Have I never thoroughly intended it?

Practicing the exercises that matter most, daily spiritual disciplines, strengthens intentions. Because His Word strengthens, and isn't that what we're intending, praying, to practice?

It's part of our daily ceremonies, taking up His Word, and lining our day, our hearts, with Truth, this memorizing Scripture.

Because "that which is known by heart is what the heart knows" (Dennis Lennon).

What do our hearts know by heart?

Because what our hearts know by heart fuels our intentions.

What our hearts know by heart shapes our hearts.

What our hearts know by heart... is our heart.

So we make His words our words : "therefore choose life... that you may love the LORD your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days" ~Deu. 30:19-20

He is your life.

When we memorize, His living word make our words live.
His life gives us life.



October, as the leaves blaze and light and fall, seems like a good month to make our lives blaze and light and let His Word fall all around, carpeting our days. Anne Kroeker's invited those wanting more of His life in their life to join in October's Mega Memory Month:

"Here’s how to participate:

1. Pick something you’d like to memorize. Something long. Something formidable. Something Mega. (Mega to you may not be mega to me–simply challenge yourself relative to what you’ve tackled in the past.)

2.Announce it on your blog whenever you like.

3. Return with a link to your blog post talking about how you’re going to take the challenge and participate in October’s Mega Memory Month carnival. I’ll update this post so that participants are front-and-center.

4. On Mondays, because it offers the best alliteration, I’ll write a Mega Memory Month post. Chime in with your own progress report that day (or any time during the week) in the comments or at your own blog. That way we can visit and encourage each other.

5. Try typing out what you’ve mastered little by little.

6. Post any memory techniques you’re using, so we can borrow ideas that work.

7. By the end of the month, present a creative culmination of your work (a video of you–and your family, if they’re participating–reciting it by heart; or write it out by hand and take a photo; or just type it up on the blog).


Making our intentions public may spur us on to finish successfully."

Yes... intentions... What do we thoroughly intend for our hearts?

This Mega-Memory Month, our family joins our fellowship in committing to memorizing Philippians 1:20- 2:18 .

Might you prayerfully consider joining Mega-Memory Month? (Highly recommended: Mega-Memory Month posts offer much encouragement, tips, memory ideas...)

The trees of the fields blaze with His glory... our lives might too.




Father God... to memorize Your Word is to cling to You, You who are our Life. We thoroughly intend to blaze with Your Glory...


Related: Our ongoing memorization stories in the archives