From: November 21, 2025
“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11 ESV).
Psalm 119 is the longest chapter in the Bible and is located near the center of Scripture. It is an acrostic poem using all 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, with each stanza beginning with a successive letter. The psalmist repeatedly employed various terms to describe God’s Word—such as “statutes,” “precepts,” and “commandments”—in a beautiful celebration of its worth. Verse 11 emphasized the intentional act of “storing up” or “hiding” God’s Word in the heart, which pointed to memorization and internalizing Scripture. This practice was shown to guard against sin. It reminds us of Christ’s example during His temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4), where He answered each satanic challenge by quoting Scripture. Furthermore, while Psalm 119 exalted the written Word, the New Testament revealed that Christ Himself is the Living Word who “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). Thus, hiding God’s Word in our hearts not only equips us against sin but also draws us closer to Christ, the embodiment of the Word.
We must commit ourselves to storing God’s Word in our hearts through consistent reading, meditation, and memorization. As we do so, we allow the Word to confront and correct our sinful tendencies. Just as Jesus modeled in the wilderness, we can combat temptation with Scripture, recalling it in moments of trial. Memorizing God’s Word helps us think His thoughts, align our desires with His will, and experience ongoing transformation as we allow it to rewrite the “hard drive” of our minds. Let us recommit ourselves today to actively study and treasure Scripture in our hearts so that we might walk in obedience and reflect Christ more fully.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we ask that You help us faithfully hide Your Word in our hearts. Give us discipline to memorize and meditate on Scripture daily. Strengthen us by Your Spirit to resist sin and to walk in Your truth. Draw us ever closer to Christ, the Living Word, that our lives may honor You. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
From: November 21, 2024
“And behold, the glory of the God of Israel was coming from the east. And the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his glory.” (Ezekiel 43:2 ESV).
The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a new Temple, one yet to be built. In this vision, the Spirit led him to the Eastern Gate, “And behold,” he saw the glory of God “coming from the east.” This is the same direction by which he had seen God’s glory depart in his earlier vision (Ez.10-11). This “glory” can be none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As John declared, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
For Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). What Ezekiel saw and heard in his vision, John saw and heard with even greater detail in his vision on the Isle of Patmos. John said that His voice was as “the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:15) and that His face shone “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16).
There is a Day coming when we too shall see and hear Him for ourselves. Therefore, stay alert, watch and pray. Jesus, the Glorious One, is coming again from the east.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we wait patiently, but also watching and praying for Your Son’s soon return. Help us to live every day with awareness of His coming. Strengthen us to persevere in the faith until that Day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 21, 2023
“You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.” (James 5:8 NLT).
As the farmer patiently waits for the rain and the harvest, so James called believers to be patient and courageous until the Lord’s return. For the Lord’s coming is near.
How near? No one knows, except the Father. As Jesus taught, “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son—except the Father only” (Matt. 24:36).
Whether the Lord comes for us at death, or at His second coming, we are to wait patiently and strengthen our hearts. For His coming is near. We are to live with that certain hope in our hearts and minds.
PRAYER: Dear Father, give us wisdom to organize our lives around the certainty of Your Son’s soon return. We want to always be ready. For His coming is near. Strengthen us to wait patiently and courageously. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 21, 2022
WHO DO YOU CALL?
Today, when someone complains of an illness or pain. The first question they are asked is: “Have you called the doctor?” Yet, when James was writing his epistle, the first question would’ve been: “Have you called the elders of the church?”
Having available modern medicine, we forget the benefit of prayer and laying on of hands. Yet, the Bible says that having the elders in the church pray for you and anoint you is the proper response when you are sick. In our materialistic view of the world, we forget the spiritual component to health and wholeness. We forget that we are more than physical beings. However, real healing must involve the whole self.
The church has always been deeply involved with caring for the sick. Throughout history, wherever the church has gone, it has built hospitals and schools because it recognizes the need to care for the whole self, to care for mind, body and soul.
So, keep calling the doctor, but don’t forget to have the elders of the church praying for you too. Prayer shouldn’t be our last call. It should be our first.
PRAYER: Dear Father, You are the Great Physician. You have made us and You are able to heal us. You have given us doctors and modern medicine. It is a wonderful gift. But You are the Giver of Life. And we look to You for all things. Heal us. Give us strength to serve You. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: November 21, 2016
The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a new Temple, one yet to be built. In this vision, the Spirit led him to the Eastern Gate, “And behold,” he saw the glory of God “coming from the east.” This is the same direction by which he had seen God’s glory depart in his earlier vision (Ez.10-11). This “glory” can be none other than the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As John declared, “We beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). For Christ is “the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (Heb. 1:3). What Ezekiel saw and heard in his vision, John saw and heard with even greater detail in his vision on the Isle of Patmos. John said that His voice was as “the sound of many waters” (Rev. 1:15) and that His face shone “like the sun shining in its strength” (Rev. 1:16). There is a Day coming when we too shall see and hear Him for ourselves. Therefore, stay alert, watch and pray. He is coming again “from the east.”