Seek and Hide!

I bet some of you are enjoying a little chuckle at my expense right now as you indulgently smile at my turn of phrase. “Aw, how cute” you’re probably saying, “He’s originally Nigerian and he doesn’t realize it’s called hide and seek.” Well just hold your bucking broncos for a minute, this is no error as I meant to say seek and hide! I’m not talking about the age-old game of hide and seek, I’m talking about the game of life that’s impossible to play with any real degree of success unless you understand how to seek and hide. Huh??? I’ll spare you further agony and give you the scoop. Psalm 119: 11 boldly declares, “I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”

With all the protean leadership styles that exist in the Church today, little emphasis seems to be placed on holiness as a lifestyle choice, and while our sedulous pursuit of relevance, authenticity, and servant hood are commendable, the real truth is that they are all an exercise in futility if they are not accompanied by a true commitment to holiness. According to the Psalm above, in order to live a holy life we must give ourselves wholly to seeking truth in the Scriptures and then hiding it in our hearts so that we can apply it to every situation and circumstance in our lives. The penury of a deep understanding of the Scriptures often leaves us angry and bitter at God when things don’t work out in our lives the way we expect them to. But if the truth be told there are certain things we must understand if we are to successfully seek and hide the word of God in our hearts.

To live godly lives there are three essential changes that must occur in our lives. These are consciousness, conviction, and conscience. These changes can only occur though, through making godly choices. Consciousness essentially requires that we become aware of certain things so that we can apply them. If you don’t know the rules, you can’t intentionally keep the rules. Conviction requires more than just knowledge of the rules, but a deeper commitment to living by them. Conscience is the ‘governor’ that applies a sense of ‘stop and go’ that influences our choices. Tomorrow I’ll take the time to elaborate on these in more detail so make sure you come back!