Clean Heart

"Jesus replied, 

'And why do you break the command of God

for the sake of your tradition?'"

Matthew 15:3

Man has created all sorts of rules, traditions and guidelines for "good Christian" living which cannot be found in the Bible. For instance, it is said that God helps those who help themselves; that I must wear my Sunday best to church; I've heard that if I'm a good Christian I'll be there every time the doors of the church are open; many have told me that God doesn't give me more than I can handle; and of course there are thousands of expectations put upon me by some "church people" as to how I should think, speak, vote and act as well as in what kind of entertainment I should take part.

If I study God's Word closely, however, I'll instead find that God wants me to depend upon Him for my help as a child does with his parents; that He looks at my heart instead of my outward appearance; that He wants me to follow Him and the plan He has for my life instead of doing what I think is good; that God is always testing me with more than I can handle so that I will learn to cast all my burdens upon Him, although He won't allow me to be tempted beyond what I can bear; that I am to do everything for the glory of God, not to please man.

How easy it is to follow folk religion, common beliefs and traditions instead of sticking to the Truth.  It is my desire to follow God and God alone, steering clear from traps that can ensnare me, throwing me off track.  To help me stay on the narrow path, I should look for these characteristics common to those who are wholeheartedly devoted to God.

Desire to Please God

When I was a child, I had a strong desire to please my mom.  If she asked me to run and fetch three or four paper towels, for instance, I would always get four.   I tried to do my very best because I really wanted to impress my mom.

This is how I want to be when it comes to God.  Not so much that I want to impress Him; how could I amaze the One who made me and knows my innermost thoughts?  Instead, I want to have that same drive to do my very best for Him.  It is my desire to go above and beyond when He calls me to a task.  At the end of my life, I would like to hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Since it is my desire to please God, I must make His teachings of the highest importance.  Out of all the advice, instruction and guidance I receive on a daily basis, His must overshadow all others.  If the counsel of Dr Phil doesn't line up with God's Word, I need to throw it away.  If my best friend gives me advice that doesn't jive with what I'm learning in the Bible, it must go, no matter how much sense it seems to make.  If everyone is telling me to do one thing, but God says to do something else, I better listen to God.

As one who is aspiring to commit my whole heart to God, my desire will be to please God in all that I do.

Let His Spirit Work

I have a friend who has the biggest heart for those who are suffering, but she is an unbeliever.  If she sees an animal without a home, she adopts him.  If a child is mistreated or neglected, she is quick to take her in.  If anyone is suffering, she wants to help.  

The problem is that since she doesn't have God's Spirit to equip her; she doesn't have His guidance, wisdom, love and patience.  Many times, her efforts backfire; animals die, children are not protected and chaos rules.  Even though her intentions are good, she's not empowered to carry them out.

Since I follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior, I have the advantage of His Spirit showing me His ways, prompting me in how to live so that I will please Him, and giving me wisdom in handling problems as they arise.

Jesus said that I am to stay connected to Him as the source of everything good.  He said, "I am the vine; you are the branches.  If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)  I can try, like my friend, to do things to help others, but without the power of God's Spirit working through me, it's really not going to matter.

Anything I do on my own will not stand in His kingdom.  It must be out of obedience to His calling and with the enabling of His power.  Jesus explained this by saying, "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned."  (John 15:6)

Letting His Spirit work through me means I'll have to push aside my own common sense, wait on His timing and bury my desire to know the details.  As former Prime Minister of Great Britain, Margaret Thatcher, once said, "Ideally when Christians meet as Christians to take counsel together, their purpose is not--or should not be-- to ascertain what is in the mind of the majority but what is in the mind of the Holy Spirit--something which may be quite different."

As one who is aspiring to commit my whole heart to God, I will let His Spirit work through me and look to Him as my only Source of power and wisdom.

Focus on the Heart

The way I treat my family is a good indicator of the state of my heart.  At home, guards are let down, appearances are not strictly maintained and standards are loosened.  While out in the community, I may make an effort to love those around me, cutting them slack as I'm called to do as a forgiven sinner.  But when I step foot into the comfort and safety of my own home, I tend to revert to my selfish ways.

When this is the case, my heart is in the wrong place.  I am aiming to please man and make sure I create a good reputation for myself.  This attitude leads to hypocrisy, judgementalism and Pharisaical thinking.

As a result, I must do as the Proverbs teach me and, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life."  (4:23)  This is important because,  "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45)  If I allow evil into my heart through my thoughts, movies, music, television, friends' belief systems and activities, attitudes or any source other than God, I will harbor darkness in my heart.  Eventually, it will come out and harm those around me.

Instead, I can focus on, ". . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things." (Philippians 4:8) This means I can turn away from the worry of how I'll pay the bills and instead focus on how God has always provided.  I can stop dwelling on the hurt that someone caused me with their harsh words and choose to concentrate instead on positive things they do.  I can get rid of the entertainment that doesn't glorify God and only focus on that which affirms godly values.  

As one who is aspiring to commit my whole heart to God, I will purpose to protect my heart from all that will corrupt my thoughts, words and actions.

It is easy to get caught up in following common beliefs about God, but if I truly want to surrender my all to Him, I will need to have a strong desire to please Him, allow His Spirit to work in me and to lead me, and to focus on my heart.  Then I will be able to ask, as David did, to, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." (Psalm 51:10)

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can keep pleasing God as my utmost desire.

When do I fail to let His Spirit work and instead rely on my own strength?

How do I focus on other things like success and pleasure instead of on protecting my heart?