SURRENDERED HEART

What comes to mind when you hear the word “heart?” Usually we think of things like “my achy breaky heart” or "heart medicine" or "heart surgery", in other words, that blood pumping muscle in the middle of our chest that keeps us alive. In the Bible, a person’s heart is much more than simply a vital internal organ delivering blood all the way through the body. The heart is seen as the center, the core of a person. If you conduct a search of the word “heart” in the Bible you will discover it is used 832 times. Jesus says pure hearts will see God (Mt. 5:8), and that our heart tells the mouth what to say (Mt. 12:34). Jesus also says in Matthew 15:19 and Mark 7:21 that the evil you do comes from your heart which breaks the heart of your loving God. Just a brief study of this word in the Bible reveals that the heart is the foundation of the decisions that you make. Those decisions either honor God or move you further from Him. That’s why the Bible emphasizes over and over again the importance of "guarding your heart". The condition of your heart is extremely important to determine where you stand in relationship with God. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23)

The Lord said, "These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me”—Isaiah 29:13. God wants to direct your habits. Jesus wants to influence your decisions. The Holy Spirit wants to guide your thoughts. God wants to guide every aspect of your life. Those statements are true, but do you know what He wants the most? Your heart! It is in your heart where God wants to make the greatest impact. You see, you can try to clean up your habits and life by your own will power and, some instances, your effort might pay off. You might do the things that "good Christ-followers do" and think to yourself that God is pleased with you. Well, what really pleases God is for your heart to be His! It is not your habits or lifestyle that ultimately pleases God. God is pleased when He has YOUR WHOLE HEART! You can honor God in all kinds of ways and still withhold that which He wants the most—your heart! Surrender to Him all of your heart today!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 80-20 Rule

In 1906, Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula to describe the unequal distribution of wealth in his country, observing that twenty percent of the people owned eighty percent of the wealth. The Pareto Principle, or 80/20 rule, states that 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.   Although this rule was first applied in Italy when Pareto was looking at the dispersal of wealth, it has since become a rule of thumb for many businesses.   It has been said that 20% of your workforce does 80% of the work, or 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients.   I think this law comes into play in our lives as well.   Life is 20% what happens to you and 80% what you make of it. There are tons of stories about people who come out of difficult situations — gang life, in and out of jail, drug addiction, broken families, abuse – yet still seem to rise to the top.   And of course, there are many stories of those who have been given...
Read more

Control Yourself

When it comes to our life, we have nothing to say about our birth and little say about our death, but in between these two events most of the decisions are ours to be made. Are you letting life and circumstances control you, or are you controlling your own life and destiny with God’s help. Don't let life pass you by when you have the God-given ability to make things happen. I've heard it said: You can't control the length of your life, but you can control its use. You can't control your facial appearance, but you can control its expression. You can't control the weather, but you can control the moral atmosphere that surrounds you. You can't control the distance of your head above the ground, but you can control the height of the contents in your head. You can't control the other fellow's annoying faults, but you can see to it that you do not develop similar faults. Why worry about things you cannot cont...
Read more

Bounce Back

As a 7th grader in junior high school, I was devastated when I was cut from the starting 8th grade football team and sent to the second team.   I felt disappointed, embarrassed and dejected.   Latter that week, I spoke with my grandfather who passed on these words of wisdom, “It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce back that matters.”   I took those words to heart. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:11, “Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket.” I valued his wise words and committed to doing my best for this second string team, instead of pouting and complaining over my sense of failure. I committed to working hard, giving my all to bounce back. It served me well as I entered high school and played on two state championship teams. I learned that day that what happens to me in life doesn’t count as much as how I react to those things.   I had a choice the day I was cut from the team—I could wallow in misery and quit the team, or I ...
Read more