Influence of the Heart

"My son, do not forget my teaching,

but keep my commands in your heart,

for they will prolong your life many years

and bring you peace and prosperity."

Proverbs 3:1-2

Its easy to think its my mind that most influences me for God, that guides me to His ways.  But in reality, its the heart that matters most (Proverbs 4:23,Psalm 139:23).

Treasure.  If it's success, my focus will be on climbing up the ladder.  If it's financial security, my attentions will be directed toward making sound investment decisions.  If it's relational, I'll spend my time building close bonds.  If it's health, my heart will be inspired to do all I can to preserve my body.  Whatever it is that I deem as valuable will drive my life.  And along with this drive will come the expectation that the thing I'm holding up as my treasure will bring satisfaction, meaning and fulfillment.  Until success never comes, the stock market crashes, the love of my life leaves and cancer ravages my body.  Now what?  I think.  What is the purpose of my life?  Now that my treasure is gone, where do I go from here?

As Jesus said, ". . .where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)  The only secure investments of my passion and attention are the heavenly ones, so I would be wise to focus on the spiritual things of God, making it my goal to know Him more each day.  If I were to pray that He open the eyes of my heart, I would begin to see things more as He does, and find what is of eternal value that is worth pinning my devotion to (Ephesians 1:18).

I would be wise to pay attention to what I treasure, and learn to value heavenly things above all.

Desire.  "My heart is just not in it."  How many times in my life have I said this?  Too many times to count.  I do things out of obligation, but I'm not really into it.  I dot all the i's and cross all the t's but there is no joy in doing a good job.  I spend my time crossing things off my to-do-list, but I wonder what I've really accomplished.

I have come to this conclusion:  if my heart is in it, I'm all in.  If I'm somehow disconnected, it won't last.  It reminds me of the years I devoted to homeschooling.  Many people who were considering taking the plunge asked me for advice and I always said the same thing, "Make sure you have a calling to homeschool.  If you don't, when the going gets rough, and it will get rough, you will not have the commitment to see it through."  In other words, if your heart is not in it, it will not last.

The same is true with anything.  I have to ask myself, what is it that I want out of this?  Is it all about quenching some personal, fleshly thirst, or is it from God?  Is this what I want, or is it what God wants?  Does this line up with God's best for me, or am I settling for something less?

I would be wise to pay attention to my desires, and let God change my aspirations to line up with His.

Yield.  For years I agreed with the Gospel, but I didn't surrender control of my life to Jesus.  I knew that I was saved but I failed to trust Jesus as Lord.  I wanted eternal life but didn't want to give up control.  It took many years before I yielded to Jesus, letting Him have His way in my life.  Up until then I was what is called a "carnal Christian," looking just like the rest of the world in the way I live my life and the values that I hold yet identifying myself as a believer of Jesus.  

It's in the heart that I either resist God's attempts at transforming me from the inside out, or I cooperate (Romans 12:2).  I can learn all I want about God, but until I give my heart to Him, trusting Him wholeheartedly, it will never go deeper than the superficial (Proverbs 3:5-6).   If I'm always striving for what I want and never give up and let Him lead me toward what He wants, I'll never find contentment and peace (Psalm 46:10).  It's in the heart that I either yield to Him or resist Him.

I would be wise to let God have His way in my life, yielding my heart to Him.

I spend a lot of time focusing on knowledge and wisdom, but it is in the heart where my faith is really determined. Therefore, it is important that I cultivate a heart that is dedicated to God, treasuring the heavenly, desiring the godly, and yielding to Him.  When I do, I will realize the influence of the heart as my life song sings for the glory of God!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to yield to His loving hand of discipline and guidance.

When do I resist Him?

How do I neglect my heart, thinking it is what I know that most influences the direction of my life?

   

The Buck Stops Here

"Rehum the governor and Shimshai the court secretary 

wrote the letter, telling King Artaxerxes 

about the situation in Jerusalem.  

They greeted the king for all their colleagues--

the judges and local leaders, 

the people of Tarpel, 

the Persians, 

the Babylonians, 

and the people of Erech and Susa (that is, Elam).  

They also sent greetings from the rest of the people whom the great and noble Ashurbanipal had deported 

and relocated in Samaria 

and throughout the neighboring lands of the province 

west of the Euphrates River."

Ezra 4:8-10 NLT

There were a lot of people behind this letter written to the king of Persia, seeking to undermine the efforts of God's people to rebuild the temple of the living God as well as the city in which it dwells.  It proved to accomplish its purpose in halting the progress being made, planting a seed of doubt in the king's mind as to the Jews' trustworthiness in honoring the king, especially when it comes to the paying of taxes of any kind.

Usually it's the leader who must take responsibility for the actions of a group such as this.  To God, however, each one who agreed and supported this tactic is responsible for what happened as a result of this letter.  

It's the same with me.  Even if everyone around me resists God and works against Him, I always have the choice to side with Him, going against the crowd.  How do I often go with the flow, defying God as a result?

Status Quo.  Jesus went through a lot to deliver to me a new way of living.  He gave up His divinity for a time so that I could have the benefit of His indwelling Spirit (Philippians 2:6-8, Galatians 3:14) .  

He took the punishment for my sin upon Himself so that my body could be the new temple of God (1 Corinthians 6:19).  

He stepped off the throne to deliver salvation to a world desperately in need of saving (John 3:17).  As God restored His Son to His rightful place of honor in heaven, He also gave Jesus the Holy Spirit to pour out on me (Acts 2:32-33).

Since I have been given such treasure, why would I do things the way they have always been done, failing to take notice of where the Spirit leads (1 Thessalonians 5:19)?  Why would I walk in the flesh instead of letting His Spirit guide my life (Galatians 5:16)?  Why would I maintain the status quo when God has something new in mind (Isaiah 43:18-19)?

I am responsible for going where God's Spirit leads me, not falling in line with what man expects of me.

Blend.  Do people around me know that I follow Jesus?  Or do I blend in, looking like the rest of the world in my attitudes, choices, and lifestyle?  As the salt of the earth, I am called to be different.  In order to make a kingdom-difference in this world, I must not lose my saltiness (Matthew 5:13).  I can't afford to become like everyone else because then, what good will I be in influencing the world for Christ?

It is Jesus dwelling in me that makes me different from the world.  If I resist His transforming work as He tears down the old and replaces the flesh with the new, how will I appear to my neighbor?  Like a hypocrite who talks the talk but doesn't walk the walk.  Like a carnal Christian who is bound by sin.  Like a member of the pop-culture church which is impotent and dead.

If I cooperate with what Jesus is doing, however, I will be transformed in my thoughts and attitudes, taking on a new persona that is focused on making the most of God in my day-to-day life (Romans 12:2).  I will then want what God wants and will find myself at odds with the world.

I am responsible for resisting the tendency to blend in with the world, instead cooperating with God's transformation process, making me different than the rest of the world.

Common Sense.  How do I usually make choices?  I always heard that I should make a list of pros and cons and choose the side that is more heavily weighted.  Or to follow my heart.  Or to just pick and let the chips fall where they may.

There are many methods used to make decisions, but all of them rely on my own resources.  Either it's what makes sense to me that wins out or what feels good that influences me the most.  

Whichever technique I use, I can only discern God's direction if I trust Him, placing all my confidence in Him and His ability to lead me.  What I absolutely cannot do is rely on my own insight, perception or intelligence.  Only by recognizing that He is the One with the plan, will I be able to discover the way He has prepared for me to go (Proverbs 3:5-6).  And I must be prepared to accept that this plan probably won't make sense to me.

I am responsible for trusting God instead of my own way of thinking.

People all around me are going the wrong way.  Either I could join in, taking the wide path that leads to destruction, or I could step out of the stream and find the narrow gate.  When I do, I must let the Holy Spirit lead me, resist the urge to blend in and instead let God transform me, and stop relying on my common sense or other carnal resources.  In these ways I won't be ashamed of the direction my life goes, and I'll honor God in the process.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can stop going with the flow.

When do I resist the leading of the Holy Spirit?

How am I trusting more in my common sense than in God's wisdom, which is far from common?