Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Hearts

1John 4:19 - We love Him because He first loved us.

Hey, it's Valentine's Day. I look at it as another day for the florists and Hallmark to make some extra money. Besides, Jesus should be our first love because He first loved us.

Let's take a look a the biblical meaning of the word heart. I did this for a Bible study I won't be attending! So I thought I would share here. It references the inner man, our will and understanding. It is the seat of our emotions, passions and courage and is the center of all physical and spiritual life.

We are called to love the Lord our God with ALL our heart, soul, strength (Luke 10:27). When we do, an abundance is given to us because we have made a right choice in choosing the One who is all we need.

But as we see in the Bible there are all sorts of hearts:

Callous -
Acts 28:27 - For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.
God wants our hearts turned toward Him so we would hear Him, understand about Him and He would heal our hearts.

Hardened -
Ephesians 4:18 - They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.
Sometimes we harden our hearts because the truth of His Word can be difficult to hear. We are hard hearted until the Lord pierces it and changes it. His difficult words are for our good. 

Unrepentant -
Romans 2:5 - But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.
If we do not call sin a sin in our lives and turn from it, seek God's grace and mercy, we are unrepentant.

But then there are the kind of hearts we like to think we have:

Pure -
Proverbs 20:9 - Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?
Not one of us can say we have made our own hearts pure; only Jesus is able to do this.

Grateful -
Colossians 3:16 - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
We can have a grateful heart if we submit to Christ.

Singleness of -
Ezekiel 11:19-20 - And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey My decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be My people, and I will be their God.
When we turn to Christ and He gives us a new heart devoted to Him, focused solely on Him, we can be called His children and He our God.

Good -
Luke 8:15 - (but those) having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.
We are said to have a good heart if we heed the words of God.

Free (deliver, release) -
Jesus said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." I sought the LORD, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears. (John 8:31-32, Psalm 34:4)
Again, it's about seeking Jesus to know the truth...which in turn is freeing and has the ability to remove our fears.

Heart's desires can be for good or evil -
Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. 
Where our treasures are, so are our hearts (Matthew 6:21). It's all about Him! He gives all we need. But we need to seek Him to find the hidden treasures!

Jesus calls us to a change of heart, turning of our hearts to and oneness of heart for Him. That's what will give us the pure, grateful and good heart, the heart that is free...of the calloused, hardened and unrepentant heart.

Hearts symbolize love, as we know. The seat of our emotions. Jesus longs for us to love Him above all others, place Him first in our lives because when He is first, all else falls into place, not that we will be free from all troubles but we will be given His power and wisdom to overcome them.

It pretty much boils down to submitting to Christ so He removes our hardened, calloused hearts that He might purify them and be gratefully free in Christ.

My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. (Psalm 73:26, Proverbs 4:23)

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