Hiding His Word in our Hearts

THIS WEEK I was blessed with the opportunity to go to a neat thing called the School of Discipleship at church. It's a meeting where high schoolers and middle schoolers learn useful skills for defending and sharing our faith. My favorite lesson so far has been on sharing testimony, because I learned a useful method that I think I will be employing. To explain it briefly, Pastor Ryan gave us a short outline of an effective testimony (we all got a chance to share a 5-minute 'sermon' also).

First is "me," when you introduce yourself. Next is "we" where you point out a problem we all have. Then "God," where you give examples from Scripture about how to solve the problem. Then "you," the audience, where you give a practical way to apply the Scripture to life. And finally "we" again, where you encourage the listener that the solution is possible because God is going to do this or that to help us.
This is something I want to try to use because it seems effective. I'll try it out right now as I tell you what I'm learning this week.

This world is really a hard place to live in. We have mixed messages of every kind conflicting with the messages God is sending us, and this often makes it hard to make the right decisions. It really doesn't take much, either, for the evil one to take the little mistakes we are bound to make and turn them into our ruin. A hateful or dirty thought, an evil word, a bad habit nurtured and allowed to grow, eventually chokes the fruits of the Spirit that are trying to grow in our hearts. That's really dangerous, but it's so hard to avoid! It's hard to keep from seeking our satisfaction in the little things like money and relationships and possessions instead of in God. It's hard not to lose ourselves and give in to just a little bit of sin, especially when the world is saying it's okay. What truly matters is what God says is okay, and you'll remember Jesus warned us that the world around us won't always agree with God. 1 Corinthians 5:6-7 reads "[6] Your glorying is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? [7] Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us." The directions are clear. We must not keep little sins around because they turn into big sins.

But how do we do that? Pastor Russ was explaining today that the laws written in the Old Testament were set for two reasons: one is to show us what we shouldn't do, in order to avoid things that threaten our relationship with God (for He is unlike any of the objects of worship for other religions, because He truly wants to be near to us. He actually loves us, enough to be merciful if we trust in Him). The other reason is to show us that we cannot possibly hope to keep all of the laws by ourselves. It's to show us that by nature we are "lawbreakers." We can't make ourselves good enough, and we certainly aren't sufficient for our own salvation if we can't even keep all of the rules. So the law is meant to show us that we need Jesus to be our Savior.

We can't make ourselves good enough by any means, and we can't defend ourselves from the mess the world is pushing on us all the time. Fortunately we've been blessed with God's Word to help us to figure things out. He promised not to leave us all alone, and He hasn't. He's here to help.

One way God helps us is through the Bible, which is absolutely filled from start to finish with wisdom, information, historical records, evidences, miracles, fulfilled prophecies, encouragement, correction, and truth. It's all good. Psalm 119:9-16 is very good to memorize: "[9] How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. [10] With my whole heart I have sought You; oh let me not wander from Your commandment! [11] Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You. [12] Blessed are You, O LORD! Teach me Your statutes. [13] With my lips I have declared all the judgements of Your mouth. [14] I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. [15] I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways. [16] I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your word."

The writer asks for God to help him to learn what He commands, so that he can better keep those commands. He asks for His help in not wandering from His commandments. It is a very good idea to start memorizing Scripture. That's something I'm going to start doing more. It's one thing to read what God says. It's another to hide it in our hearts - why? - so that we don't sin against Him. That means that when we are in confusing and trying, or just plain tempting, situations in the real world we can remember what God says about this or that, and we are not caused to stumble.

Likewise Joshua 1:8 says "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." Mind that 'meditate' does not mean to sit on a pillow in the corner in a trance-like state and chant for hours at a time. No, it means to think about the word, to contemplate what it means, to keep its meaning with you absolutely all the time, not just at church and not just at home. What happens then? We have success and prosperity for having kept the rules that God gave us. Our salvation does not come from learning the laws and keeping them. Our salvation comes directly from the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ. We should look into the word so that our steps will be directed, so that we don't slip and fall. And even if we do stumble, we have a faithful and merciful God who doesn't just abandon people who fail. 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

What happens if we do stumble? Wait, look at the very next verse. Joshua 1:9, "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go." It's true that we are much too weak to be good enough on our own. But God is strong enough to make anything work. Many times in Scripture, as well as right now in our lives, He makes the weak strong and the little great. He brought Jesus as a carpenter, not a king, and He is glorified above all names. He fed thousands of people with a few loaves of bread and a few little fish which would not have been enough in anyone else's hands - and they had leftovers! He says that the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest seed but turns into a tree so big that birds can come and nest in it, and it is greater than all the herbs. He is not limited by our inability to provide for ourselves. But rather He regularly turns it into a reason to glorify Him, because our weakness displays His strength. 2 Corinthians 12:9 says "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast of my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." The laws aren't the source of salvation. The laws tell us how to live. Faith in Jesus gives us eternal life. Our goal is not to memorize the rules and ask Jesus for help just to keep them. Our goal is to seek God, not by being pretty good people, but by getting to know Him more and letting Him fill our lives. We can come to Him because He came to us.

In addition to giving us the Word as correction and a source of wisdom, He has sent Jesus, God-in-Man, to be our Savior and take the sins away. He has sent the presence of God, His Spirit of truth, to be our 'Helper.' In John 14:25-26 Jesus says, "[25] These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. [26] But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." In this way God stays near to us so that the lives we live will reflect our love for Him (for our obedience to Him derives from our love for Him) and so in the way we live we will bring Him glory.

This week I am going to be memorizing Scripture, really hiding that word in my heart. And I'm going to be praying that we can all learn to seek our satisfaction, our strength, and our delight in Jesus rather than anywhere else, in the one who holds us rather than in the things we hold.