How's your Heart?

 

“The first and the great work of a Christian is about his heart. Do not be content with seeming to do good in ‘outward acts’ while your heart is bad, and you are a stranger to the greater internal heart duties.” Jonathan Edwards

 A little girl was brought to the ER with a severe cough. But as tykes sometimes do…she talked and talked and talked which made it difficult for the nurse to listen to the sounds in her lung. Finally, the nurse said, “Shhh, I have to see if Barney is in there.” The child looked up and calmly said, “I have JESUS in my heart. BARNEY is on my underwear.” 

  It’s Valentine’s Day. For the last few weeks, hearts of all shapes and sizes have been nearly everywhere reminding us that Valentine’s Day is coming and to remember to buy candy, flowers or a card for that sweetheart. 

  Imagine for a moment though that for Valentine’s Day a husband buys his wife roses and a card. Perhaps he takes her out for an expensive dinner. Yet, though he does all of these things for her, she senses that he doesn’t really love her. She doesn’t have his heart. Would she be pleased? Would it be meaningful to her? I don’t think so. 

  No one did the right things like the Pharisees. According to the Talmud, there were 613 commandments in the Torah and the Pharisees attempted to obey every one of them. Humanly speaking, they did all of the right things. 

  If we’re honest, we’d have to confess that most of us would make great Pharisees. I know that I would. Because it’s so much simpler to do the right thing than it is to be the right kind of person. Yet, God doesn’t want or need us to do anything. 1 Samuel 16:7 says, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” While it’s true that the Lord wants us to do the right things, but He’s much more concerned about our heart – that we be the right person. 

  Ours is a superficial world where we judge ourselves and others based on actions. Yet, if we prioritize our outer life and neglect our inner life, it will become dark and scary. We won’t know what to do with solitude. We’ll be deeply uncomfortable with self-examination and have an increasingly short attention span for any type of self-reflection. Our lives will lack integrity. 

  When we neglect our hearts, while outwardly we may project confidence, spiritual and emotional health and wholeness, inwardly we’ll be filled with self-doubts, anxieties, self-pity, anger, bitterness and old grudges. Unless we prioritize the inner life, we degenerate quickly into hypocrites. 

  Who are you? Where does your mind wander when you’re not forced to think about anything in particular? What roads do your thoughts tend to wander down? Old hurts, imagined offenses, irritated or feelings of impatience, covetous dreams? Or do your thoughts turn upward and contemplate God, His grace, love and goodness? 

  Perhaps you wish to be perceived as an upbeat, cheerful person. But do you habitually thank God for everything you have and praise Him for who He is? You may talk a great deal about what a “blessing” your faith is and how you really love the Lord, but if you’re prayerless—is that really true? If you aren’t joyful, humble, and faithful in private before God, then what you desire to appear to be on the outside won’t match what you truly are. 

  Giving priority to the inner life doesn’t mean living an individualistic life. It’s certainly not one that’s self-oriented. Scripture is clear though that knowing God can’t be achieved by yourself. Even marriage and our family can lull us into delusion as “we” become the standard of well-being. 

  Community reveals the chinks in our armor. It’s part of why God designed us for community, participation together in worship and smaller groups of believers, as well as private devotion. It’s serving together not as Lone Rangers that helps us grow. It requires studying Scripture together as well as personal, quiet meditation. 

  To be spiritually healthy our inner life with the Lord must have priority. It’s why that before a small group gathering, John Wesley would ask, “How is it with your soul?” That’s a very personal and deep question. Like a skilled surgeon, Wesley dove deep at the very start, cutting to the core issues and setting the tone for those group meetings. 

  Often Christians criticize a secular world for prioritizing symbolism over substance. Yet, when we focus on our persona and public face rather than our hearts, aren’t we guilty of the same? When we’re more concerned with what others think than what God thinks, are we much different? 

  So, what does it mean to be a man or a woman after God’s own heart? It doesn’t mean that you’re sinless. It means that you’re seeking after God, that your heart is open and submissive to Him. It means that when you do sin, you’re quick to confess it and repent. It means that you’re a man or woman of integrity, that you have a whole heart before God. 

  What you do isn’t what matters most to God. He first wants our hearts. Your heart is vital to your worship of God. Your heart is the most important. If you want to please God, you must first focus on your heart, work on your character, focus on the inner man, and spiritual growth as a believer. When the inner life is in sync, then God will use you. 

  Unlike us the Lord doesn’t desire some perfect outward appearance. He desires a mind and heart attitude willing to be used by Him in whatever ways we can in our specific conditions. While “beautiful” people may look at us and think we’re not very remarkable, God sees the inside as well as the outside. If we surrender to conforming to the likeness of Christ – praising Him and giving thanks even when life is incredibly hard, trusting His decisions for our lives, forgiving those who don’t understand our limitations – our spirits are beautiful and pleasing to God. 

  Yet, where does that strength, that heart come from? 1 Samuel 16 ends with, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord gripped David with power.” It’s those who are not full of themselves, either in arrogance or self-loathing. It’s not those who focus on doing the right things but those who start by being honest, humble, and surrendered who are available to God’s power. If our heart is right, then habit will follow. Focus on what truly matters. How’s your heart?

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address.