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Hide God's Word
I was listening to a Christian TV program last week and the preacher quoted this well-known verse from Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might no sin against thee" (KJV), "I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (ESV). The chorus of an old hymn immediately came to mind, "Hide God's Word in your heart, Hide God's Word in your heart, His Word of Love sent from above, Hide God's Word in your heart" (No. 7, Alexander's Hymns, written by the Australian pianist Robert Harkness).
The first verse reads, "Hide God's Word in your heart, Its precious Truth believe, At His command take from His hand, the Bread of Life receive." The second, "Hide God's Word in your heart, If you would grow in grace, And like Him be until you see Your master face to face." And the last verse, "Hide God's Word in your heart, Each day a verse repeat; Though sin allure Success is sure, You cannot have defeat." And that last verse points out the main message I have heard preached from Psalm 119:11 -- a call to Bible memorization. And in fact I did memorize this verse when as a young man I followed the Navigator's Topical Bible Memory system... 108 verses committed to memory!
As an aside, I would like to say that putting Bible verses into your memory is a valuable method of Bible study. As you repeat a verse over and over you will be thinking about what it means and how you can apply it to your life. "A verse a day keeps the devil away"... and it only takes a month to have 30 powerful statements from God's Word ready for use in your daily life. On the other hand, following a Bible reading plan is not a good method of Bible study. Say this out aloud: "Its not how many times I've been through the Bible that counts, but how many times the Bible has been through me!" So save your money and don't buy that "One Year Bible" you saw advertised or that "Bible Reading Plan" booklet or leaflet. It costs nothing to take one verse a day and commit it to memory. Certainly, a once-off reading right through the Bible can give you a birds'-eye-view of the sacred record, if you can remember it all when you're finished. You'll have to read three and a half chapters a day to do it, though!
Back to our one Bible verse: "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee." You cannot hide God's Word in your heart... unless you take some other actions first. Jeremiah said, "Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart..." (Jeremiah 15:16). Note the stages: he found the words, he ate them, the words became a joy and delight. Having found the verse that contains the promise or assurance you need, feed on it, chew on it, get every bit of sustenance that it contains. When you have done this, the truth contained in the verse will become a joy and delight to you. You can then "hide" or store it in your heart for future application when "sin allures".
One teacher made good use of the alliteration Receive, Retain, Release. Let's look at the first two of these. "Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls" (James 1:21). Acts 17:11 speaks of people who "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." I Thessalonians 1:6 tells how the Thessalonians received the Word: "And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for you received the word in much affliction, with the joy of the Holy Spirit." And then in 2:13, "And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers." And there are many other verses I could quote. Receive with meekness, with all eagerness, in much affliction, with joy; as it really is, the Word of God.
Then we come to Retain, the "hide" and "store" part. Titus 1:9, speaking of teachers, says, "He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it." "Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus" (II Timothy 1:13 KJV). "Follow the pattern of the sound words..." (ESV). To hold the Word fast you have to have a good grasp on it. II Timothy 2:15 says, "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Are you a good workman, "correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth" (Amplified Bible)?
"Hide", "store", "hold firm"... these are commands not recommendations! And how desperately we need believers to obey the command in these final days. Philippians 2:15-16 teaches "that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain" (ESV). Here we come to the "that I might not sin against You" part of Psalm 119:11. Whereever you live you are surrounded by "a crooked and twisted [perverted] generation", always trying to drag you down to their level by every means available. You will give in to them unless you are "holding fast to the word of life", the truth revealed in God's positive Word.
"I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you" (ESV). Please make this true in your life in 2006. -- Peter Wade.
You Are Saying
I have just finished your book, "In Christ: A New Creation", that was passed down to me by my Pastor and his wife. I have known the Lord for many years, but it wasn't until this summer that I asked God to take control of my life. Your book helped me figure out who I was in our Lord. I have been studying and mentoring as I feel the Lord is calling me to the Ministry. I wanted to thank you for your book. The part that really stuck out was about Miracles. Until recently, I've been looking from afar for them to happen. But now, I see the amazing miracles that have already taken place and I am looking forward to more, today!
News of our site We no longer recommend purchasing books by other authors from Amazon.com. Many of the books we recommend have increased in price to normal retail, and in some cases there is a $1.99 procurement fee on top of that! We have changed our page to point you to other places and ministries where you can purchase these valuable life-changing books.
We now have eight teachings translated into Spanish, thanks to Giliberto Arcos in Chile. There is also one article translated into German, and another person is translating articles into Swedish. We are really blessed to have these co-workers help us share the positive Word of God.
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