15
Dec '18
Heart Smart
15
Dec '18
“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21
One of my challenges as a Christian is taking God’s word too literally. I am not here saying that what is written is not true nor that it should not be followed. What I am saying is that we must always be careful not to take the words of God outside of their context and be prudent to discern its intent. Here is an example. This past week, my pastor used this verse:
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? Jeremiah 17:9 NLT
Now in reading it, one might appear to believe that the heart is a bad thing, and thus, we must be ‘head smart’ whenever we are following God’s word. Now I am not questioning the pastor’s use of this verse, and there is truth to being ‘head smart.’ However, we note that Samuel said to Saul about David, “for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” (1 Samuel 13:14b) So this ‘heart’ thing can be very complicated. Where does God want us? Are we following His word above our heart? I think of things my doctor would say about a healthy diet. He talks about watching my sugar level and lessening my cholesterol intake. These tips are as one spaghetti sauce label would say ‘heart smart.’ In that same way, the answer to these questions lie in our intake of the right things toward having greater wisdom of what God wants from us.
A heart that is filled with love for God will make Godly decisions. The verses in Jeremiah do not necessarily say that the heart is bad. Instead, it should be viewed as a warning. It is to ensure that we are not blind to times where our heart is driven to do things that are not what God wants. Think back to when you were a child, and your parents gave you a punishment for wrongdoing. At the time, you probably felt emotions ranging from anger toward them to disappointment toward yourself. Now ask yourself, “How did your parents feel?” Do you think it brought them joy to discipline you? Of course not! Fast forwarding to today, we realize that they did these things out of love. Not that they wanted to see us sad or take things away. Their hearts were toward helping us grow to see what was right and good. In that same way, God’s word will challenge us where at times we will be sad and disappointed when we do not follow His word. That is a true measure of whether our hearts are in the right place. David struggled in many ways. But he recognized when he was wrong, and his heart broke for those things that God’s heart broke for. That’s why David was a man after God’s heart, and likewise, it is what Jesus was getting at in today’s verses. If we treasure those things that God treasures most, our hearts will follow His will. It does not mean we will be perfect. But like David, we will recognize our failures, and turn to God both in repentance and for forgiveness.
A heart for God is a great thing! It guides us into following those things that God would ask of us, and it keeps us on that narrow and righteous path that Jesus spoke of (see Matthew 7:13-14). There will be times where our hearts strings will be pulled. Sometimes it is God, but other times it is our own wants. Our goal is not to ignore those feelings. Instead, we must look to God and His word for greater understanding, then apply it toward serving Him with love and compassion for others. That’s what He wants for us.
Do you pause when your heart strings are being pulled? How can you ensure that your heart is filled with God’s intent? My prayer is that we focus on filling our hearts through His word to ensure that we are indeed ‘Heart Smart.’ Amen.
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Kent
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