Receiving The WordSample

The Word cannot come to your lips and go out of your mouth until it is first within you, or in your mind. In Proverbs 22:17-18, we read this advice: 

“Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips.” 

Then the writer says, “I have taught you today... Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge?” (Proverbs 22:19-20).

He is saying, “I wrote what you need, but you have to keep it within you.” If you will cooperate with the Spirit by working to memorize Scripture, He can put in your mind what needs to come out of your mouth when you face hard circumstances and difficulties. 

You may be saying, “Tony, you don’t know me. I’m not good at memorizing things.” I know guys who can remember every player on every NFL team and which college they played for before going pro. And I know people who can quote lines from all sorts of movies. If you can memorize these trivial things, you can memorize the words that bring people life.

For most of us, the real deal is that we don’t feel like doing Bible memory. Suppose you were offered ten thousand dollars for every verse you memorize. You would become the Bible memory champion of the world. That ten thousand dollars would give you brain cells you never knew you had before. Why? The reward would be worth the effort.

The prophet Ezekiel says that when God told him to eat the scroll containing His Word to Israel, it was as sweet as honey in Ezekiel’s mouth (Ezekiel 3:1-3). It was good to the taste. It was worth the effort. You only know whether something’s worth the effort when you put in the effort to find out.