Find Your Treasure

“I have treasured Your word in my heart so that I may not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11 CSB)

Find your treasure, find your heart. Your heart is with whatever you treasure.

At least one faithful believer found his treasure in the word of God. He wrote the verse that is quoted above. Other translations read, “I have hidden Your word in my heart, that I may not sin against You.” Treasure, because we value it so personally and so highly, is something we typically store in a very safe place where no one can get to it or steal it from us. Thus, it is equally valid to translate the verse to say “I have treasured Your word.” To store this treasure in one’s heart, at the place where the will is shaped and determined, is the safest place to keep it. That is because the human will is made of steel, so to speak. To place the word of God in one’s heart is, therefore, to allow the word to shape the will.

Sin is also a matter of the heart. At least, that is where it begins. Jesus clearly said that out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, and every sort of sin you can think of. It all begins in the heart, the place of the will, so that just as one’s heart is shaped by the will, sin also becomes a matter of the will. Contrary to the popular belief, sin does not just “happen.” It comes from the will. Always. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deceiving himself or herself.

So, treasuring the word of God in the heart, where the will is shaped and where sin originates, may be one of the smartest things a human being can do. In reality, that is one the key secrets in dealing with temptation and with outright sin. During the wilderness temptations, Jesus quoted Scripture each time Satan tempted Him to sin. His victory and example underscore that treasuring the word of God in our hearts may be one the best things we can ever do to improve the quality of our lives.

Lord, Show us the truth of treasuring Your word in our hearts, and help us to give the time that it takes to learn Your word. Amen.