0101 - What Is In Your Heart?
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Barnabas Bulletin ~ 0101 WHAT IS IN YOUR HEART?
This is a question that we Christians should be asking ourselves regularly, for God deals with us in such a way as to reveal what we really do have in our heart. When trials, or testing times ~ and even “special” blessings ~ come our way, we re-act according to that which is in our heart. Many times we are guilty of speaking words simply to give “a real spiritual impression,” but the heart does not say “Amen” to that. And so God works in our lives to bring forth the reality that truly our heart is filled with those things that glorify Him. On the genuine side, so many misunderstandings occur in life because others do not know our heart. It is so easy to misjudge someone when we do not really know their heart.
Abraham was tested regarding his son Isaac (Genesis 22). Abraham proved to the Lord that he did indeed love Him ~ and trust Him! ~ more than anyone else. God found out exactly what was in Abraham’s heart . . . and He was pleased with him! We all know about the children of Israel’s 40 years wandering in the wilderness ~ but do you knowwhy God allowed them to be there for all that time? Deuteronomy 8 gives us an answer. God had“to humble them, to prove them, to know what was in their heart, whether they would keep His commandments or not.” What hearts those people must have had!
The Bible says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:9-10, NKJV). Hezekiah was one of those kings who “did that which was right in the sight of the Lord,” and a man who knew the blessings and dealings of God. After God spared his life for 15 years ~ and had given him a great miracle “sign” ~ Hezekiah became a very rich man. Many would say he had “attained,” or was now a “spiritual giant” ~ but we read in 2 Chronicles 32:27-31 that God tested Hezekiah by withdrawing from him and leaving him to make his own decision in a certain matter. The Bible records: “. . . God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his eart.” Hezekiah was left to make a decision out of his own heart ~ and Isaiah 39 reveals he made the wrong one! Christian, let us learn from these examples in Scripture. The condition of our heart will determine how far we go in our life’s ambitions, our motives, our effectiveness in the Kingdom of God. Our heart reveals who and what we are seeking to exalt, whether we are proud, covetous, selfish, vain, etc., or whether we are genuinely living to glorify our Risen Lord Jesus. God looks at our heart (1 Samuel 16:7); not our talents, our position, or our “popularity”! He is working in us right now to remove from our heart those things that do not please Him (and which are no good to us anyway) ~ and He is working in our heart to put those things there that will enable us to fulfil our calling and destiny in His purposes. May we be willing to let God so deal with us that He can know exactly what is in our heart and, as a result, trust us with greater responsibilities in the days ahead. ~ Rodney W. Francis. Bible Readings: Genesis 22; Psalm 19:13-14; Mark 12:28-34 Please Pray This Prayer: "Dear Lord, I come to You in the name of Jesus. I thank You that You love me and are totally committed to my good. I lift my heart to You today and ask You to so work in me that I will have a pure heart in Your sight. I desire Your will to be done in my life, and so I submit myself afresh to You. Touch my heart. Take out of it what should not be there, and put into it what should be there. Teach me Your ways, that I may walk in them, in truth and victory. For I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen." The Gospel Faith Messenger Ministry, New Zealand. Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |