Your Daily Devotional for September 13, 2006

 

September 13, 2006

 

The Hidden Man

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

 

1 Peter 3:4

 

As we look at our verse today, notice the first phrase “the hidden man of the heart.” The heart is “the totality of our innermost being.” The word heart here speaks of our spiritual life. It has been said that the heart is what guides our life when no one is around. Our heart reveals who we truly are. God knows how important it is to have a pure heart so He commanded us in Proverbs 4:23 “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.”

 

It is “the hidden man of the heart” that God seeks. He cares much more about who you are on the inside than He does about the good things you do or how nice you look on the outside. That’s why He told Samuel in 1 Samuel 16:7 “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”

 

Serving God from the heart starts with having a relationship with Him. Works are nothing to Him if we have no relationship with Him! He wants to commune with us—with our “inner man.” As we serve God from sincere and pure hearts, He will honor our outward actions.

 

It is not an easy thing to keep our heart clean, as we see in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”  God says that our heart naturally wants to do evil! Everything that we say, do, or think has to go through our heart. Think about that. Your heart is what generates thoughts or actions. Wouldn’t it make sense that we would need to keep our heart clean? We need to constantly be checking the condition of our heart!

 

There was once a lady who did not like Winston Churchill. She despised him and his foreign policies so much that one day she went up to him and said, “Mr. Churchill, if you were my husband, I would put arsenic in your tea. Churchill then replied, “Madam, if you were my wife, I’d drink it.”

 

Just as this lady let a little thing like a political difference spoil her heart, even the smallest unconfessed sin can turn the feelings of our hearts! That is when we end up falling. We need to make sure that our “hidden man” stays pure and clean.

 

What does God see when He sees you—your heart? What is in your heart that could be thrown out today? Are there any unconfessed sins that you are holding on to? God knows your heart and He wants you to keep it clean before Him! Don’t let little things clutter your relationship with God!  They are certainly not worth it!  Make sure that your heart is right with Him.

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