A New Year’s Challenge (by Cathe Laurie)

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18 ESV).

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year’s Eve! I love that both the “eves” (both Christmas and New Year) have fallen on Wednesdays this year.

As we say goodbye to 2025 and ring in 2026, we take the time to pause, reflect, and set new visions and goals for the upcoming year.

Some of you may already have your sights set on a new gym membership, a bulked-up reading list, or a cleaned-out fridge and pantry. Some of you may pick up a new instrument or language, or resolve to see friends and family more this year. All good things! But I’d love to add one more onto your list.

What the Early Church Was Like

As we’ve reflected back on time, I’ve thought a lot about the early church. Imagine: no personal Bibles, no megachurches, no praise and worship teams with all the cameras and lights (and no carafes of coffee ready to go in the morning!).

There were no Jesus Storybook Bibles to help teach children theology, no Googling to help you find a cross reference, no easy-to-grab, feel-good inspirational books and devotionals to give you a “quick fix” on a busy Monday morning.

It was just a fledgling community, clinging to oral teachings and a few circulating scrolls. They were fueled by raw conviction and a devotion to learning about Jesus.

The stories, passed down orally, were spread throughout families and crowds. They were committed to memory, the words held in each person’s heart and mind and treasured over years of time.

A Return to the Early Church’s Ways

Sometimes I wonder if we’ve gotten a little too reliant on our modern-day luxuries. How recently did you need to look up a story or a verse in the Bible because you forgot? (To be fair, I understand the “senior moment,” but what I mean is, how much do we take Scripture for granted because it is so easily accessible to us? What would happen if we didn’t have that luxury?)

“You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 11:18 ESV).

The passage goes on to give more specifics: “You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking . . . and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 11:19-20 ESV).

We have endless resources available to us, and perhaps we’ve grown complacent. I’d encourage you, at the start of this year, to begin thinking like the early church, to begin seeing the Bible and every word on its pages as precious. Commit the verses to memory! Study the stories and know them by heart. Not only will it help you in your interactions with others, but when the Word of God dwells within us, God transforms us from the inside out.

So set aside your internet browser and come back to Scripture, to the root of our faith.

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.