“But Mary was treasuring up all these things in her heart and meditating on them.” – Luke 2:19 (HCSB)
That verse has always sort of stood off to the side to me.
There it sits, in an account of shepherds arriving at the birthplace of Jesus, reporting a message that has been delivered to them by angels, and everyone who hears the report being amazed.
But Mary did something more with these things.
Mary received the shepherds’ report as food for her soul. She took it into her heart, treating it as treasure. And she returned to it often to ponder it.
There are good reasons to keep only treasure in a heart:
- As a person thinks in his heart, that’s how the person is. (Proverbs 23:7)
- Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks… (Luke 6:45)
- … which matters greatly, because the tongue has the power of life and death. (Proverbs 18:21)
Mary kept the very best things from God in her heart. She treasured in her heart the things that God treasured.
I’ve been thinking about heart treasure recently. There are some things I consider as treasure from God, keep in my heart, and ponder. I value them greatly.
And, I’ve also noticed, there are also some things that come to my attention that can definitely be cleared out. Why ever would I want to feed my heart at all on inferior things, when God gives such life-giving gifts and mysteries for me to treasure up and meditate on? I don’t.
Now is a good time to clear out the inferior things that can never feed our hearts well, and take into our hearts the treasure Jesus has for us.
Jesus, I want you and your treasure in my heart.
Parting Words
I recently shared a little secret during this Facebook live video….
It’s this: every year, a Christmas gift I give myself is to return to some of my longtime favorite fiction books to re-read them. They’re the kind of gentle fiction books that give life, that feed my heart well.
That’s one of the very reasons I started writing fiction. I wanted to give you and all of my readers an experience like that—a series that you can find life in, and enjoy returning to again and again.
So, find the links below to order, and enjoy the Valley of Artisans series! All of the books in the Valley of Artisans series make great Christmas gifts, as well.
May God bless you and the amazing treasures he has entrusted to your heart.
To your freedom, health, and wholeness,
AmyLu
P.S. I’d love to hear from you! What is your heart feeding on and meditating on right now? Hit reply to send me an email.
Inspiring Christian Fiction by AmyLu Riley
Remembering: Valley of Artisans – Book 1
Open for Miracles: Valley of Artisans – Book 2
A Winter Wedding in the Valley of Artisans: Valley of Artisans – Book 3
Ordinary Miracles: Valley of Artisans – Book 4
Recent Christian Non-fiction by AmyLu Riley
Faith with Wings by AmyLu Riley
All content copyright 2021 by AmyLu Riley.