Hide It in Your Heart - Man As Instructor
" With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. " -- Psalm 119:10-14 NKJV
My mom was not only an incredible prayer warrior but also mighty in the Word of God. So much so, in fact, that Scripture was the last thing she remembered. Mom suffered from Alzheimer’s, which, as you know, gradually robs a person of their memories of past events and people, even family members. Yet when my mom was coming to the end of her life, the last thing she recalled and recited was God’s Word. It was an amazing discovery. When we came to visit, my family and I thought she was just softly babbling, but when my sister-in-law listened more closely, she actually heard verses of Scripture. For decades, my mother had hidden God’s Word in her heart, just as the psalmist said, and that’s why verse 11 is so precious to me.
Psalm 119 is not only the longest chapter in the entire Bible but also a masterpiece of Hebrew literature. It is an acrostic—each section of eight verses is devoted to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm’s content is devoted to praising, remembering, and emphasizing the greatness and glory of God’s Word. It is a tutorial on making God’s Word an integral and vital part of our lives so that we can honor God in all we think, say, and do.
We know that everyone is shaped by something or someone. No one on the planet is an entirely blank slate, a “tabula rasa,” to borrow a term from 17th-century political thinker John Locke. Each of us is influenced, shaped, and molded by other people and their thoughts. My mom was shaped and molded by God and His Word. She inspired me to be a better student of the Scriptures. I pray she inspires you, too.
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that a godly man will desire God’s Word to be the major force of who he is and how he thinks. It helps if that process begins in the cradle and continues to the grave, but it is never too late to get started learning and applying God’s Word. In fact, our survival in this godless culture depends on it. A man without the Word of God in his life is like a warrior charging into battle without a weapon. He won’t make it! I’ve heard it said that a person is revealed by what he loves and hates. The psalmist knows that if he loves what he should love, and hates what he should hate, then he will live as he should live: in alignment with God’s Word.
Men, let me make you a promise. If you pursue learning God’s Word with desire and dedication, God will begin to do amazing things in your life. You’ll have insight you’ve never had before. You’ll have a perspective for living you’ve never experienced before. You’ll be taught life lessons you would have never otherwise learned that will protect you and shield you from dangers. Let His Word so saturate and permeate your life that it changes how you think, speak, and behave. The Spirit of God, through His Word, will shape you and mold you to become the man you could never have dreamed you would become—a man more like Jesus.
If you are someone who has read the Bible from cover to cover and does not think a second reading of Scripture is of great value, then you need to change your sentiments on that issue. Read it again, and when you finish, read it again and again. God will reveal new truths to you each time you read. You will wonder how you missed certain things in previous readings. I promise you that God will open new pearls of wisdom to you every time.
But don’t stop there. Pass it on. Take what you learn from God’s Word and be the instructor your family and friends need. Inspire them with your example and instruct them on how to hide God’s Word in their hearts. Imagine what God might do as a result!
Ask the Lord to give you a desire, a delight, and a dedication to hide His Word in your heart day by day so that it molds and shapes you to be more like Jesus.
" With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. Blessed are You, O Lord! Teach me Your statutes. With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. " -- Psalm 119:10-14 NKJV
My mom was not only an incredible prayer warrior but also mighty in the Word of God. So much so, in fact, that Scripture was the last thing she remembered. Mom suffered from Alzheimer’s, which, as you know, gradually robs a person of their memories of past events and people, even family members. Yet when my mom was coming to the end of her life, the last thing she recalled and recited was God’s Word. It was an amazing discovery. When we came to visit, my family and I thought she was just softly babbling, but when my sister-in-law listened more closely, she actually heard verses of Scripture. For decades, my mother had hidden God’s Word in her heart, just as the psalmist said, and that’s why verse 11 is so precious to me.
Psalm 119 is not only the longest chapter in the entire Bible but also a masterpiece of Hebrew literature. It is an acrostic—each section of eight verses is devoted to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The psalm’s content is devoted to praising, remembering, and emphasizing the greatness and glory of God’s Word. It is a tutorial on making God’s Word an integral and vital part of our lives so that we can honor God in all we think, say, and do.
We know that everyone is shaped by something or someone. No one on the planet is an entirely blank slate, a “tabula rasa,” to borrow a term from 17th-century political thinker John Locke. Each of us is influenced, shaped, and molded by other people and their thoughts. My mom was shaped and molded by God and His Word. She inspired me to be a better student of the Scriptures. I pray she inspires you, too.
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that a godly man will desire God’s Word to be the major force of who he is and how he thinks. It helps if that process begins in the cradle and continues to the grave, but it is never too late to get started learning and applying God’s Word. In fact, our survival in this godless culture depends on it. A man without the Word of God in his life is like a warrior charging into battle without a weapon. He won’t make it! I’ve heard it said that a person is revealed by what he loves and hates. The psalmist knows that if he loves what he should love, and hates what he should hate, then he will live as he should live: in alignment with God’s Word.
Men, let me make you a promise. If you pursue learning God’s Word with desire and dedication, God will begin to do amazing things in your life. You’ll have insight you’ve never had before. You’ll have a perspective for living you’ve never experienced before. You’ll be taught life lessons you would have never otherwise learned that will protect you and shield you from dangers. Let His Word so saturate and permeate your life that it changes how you think, speak, and behave. The Spirit of God, through His Word, will shape you and mold you to become the man you could never have dreamed you would become—a man more like Jesus.
If you are someone who has read the Bible from cover to cover and does not think a second reading of Scripture is of great value, then you need to change your sentiments on that issue. Read it again, and when you finish, read it again and again. God will reveal new truths to you each time you read. You will wonder how you missed certain things in previous readings. I promise you that God will open new pearls of wisdom to you every time.
But don’t stop there. Pass it on. Take what you learn from God’s Word and be the instructor your family and friends need. Inspire them with your example and instruct them on how to hide God’s Word in their hearts. Imagine what God might do as a result!
- How can you develop a daily habit of reading and meditating on God’s Word? How can you “hide” His Word in your heart more effectively?
- What are you doing to model learning and loving God’s Word? How are you inspiring and instructing your family and friends to spend valuable time in God’s Word?
Ask the Lord to give you a desire, a delight, and a dedication to hide His Word in your heart day by day so that it molds and shapes you to be more like Jesus.