Tag Archives: heart

The Heart is Faithful

31 Tuesday Jul 2018

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     Your heart is a faithful instrument your body needs to live from day to day, in fact, it is a faithful muscle that allows us to live from moment to moment. The other day I heard John Shannon make a remark along this line; it impressed me a great deal. On Wednesday, when it was my turn to give the invitation, I did a pitiful job at trying to convey what he said. So bad was it, I thought I might do better in a brief bulletin article.

     Without a faithful heart meeting the task the Lord designed for it, no one would survive. It is a muscle that pulls it weight and then some! With the heart, life is maintained because the heart pumps the blood of life throughout the body, the blood carries the nutrients necessary for health and oxygen for the body to survive. According to one source, the heart is about the size of a fist, weighs less than 15 ounces and beats about 100,000 times a day. When you are sitting down it is beating. When you are asleep it is beating. When you are exerting much energy it is beating. When you are resting from that exertion it is beating. The heart is a faithful muscle the Lord gave to each of us for the physical life we have. If the heart is overworked one has high blood pressure, and that brings to one its own physical complication. Is there such a thing as an underworked heart? If so, it can’t be good! A heart that is underworked or overworked is not one that places us in the best position for a long life. A properly working heart, however, is a benefit we can’t live without.

    Consider our walk with the Lord. Are we as faithful to the Lord as our heart is to us? I suspect, that each of us can say to some degree, “I have failed in that area.” If that is so, then consider the Lord’s mercy toward us as we have opportunity to read these words and reflect on that. If our walk with the Lord is as faithful as our physical muscle (heart) is to the body, think how strong each of us would be spiritually, and then add that number to the whole of the congregation, considering how spiritually strong the congregation would be! I can only imagine. Our heart is not strong when our anger issues surface, when our minds wonder from loyalty to a spouse to another person, when one gives little to the Lord in time and means, when one talks out of turn (talking about another to a third person), and when our attendance lags.

     Our heart is strong, on the other hand, when one is able to suppress the anger that boils to the top, when loyalty to a spouse is never challenged by an outside source, when the words that come from our mouth are biblical and build up people, when you give of your precious time to the Lord’s body and generous in your support to His cause and you walk alongside others in attendance.

     I may not be as strong as a farmer, construction worker or a mother, but if my heart is strong, then I am in a good position to live a productive life. In the same way, spiritually, if my heart (mind) is faithful (strong) to the Lord and His ways, then my life is blessed and His reward is waiting for me because my reward is His holiness. RT

The Holy Spirit and Being Guilty (Word to the Wise)

22 Tuesday Mar 2016

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To blaspheme the Holy Spirit, what does one have to do? Looking at Matthew 12:32, to answer this question one needs to look at the entirety of the context. First, the religious leaders questioned the authority of Jesus in His healing a man possessed of demons. Jesus, in turn, questioned their logic and their theology (12:25-30). After questioning them, he concluded with the now famous words, “…whoever speaks a word against the Holy Spirit” it will not be forgiven him, in this age or in the next (12:32). In my estimation, Jesus gives explanation to what He meant in the following verses (12:33-37). From the heart comes fruit. That fruit is either good or bad. If the heart is good, that is, if the Lord has been set on the throne of the heart (cf. 1 Peter 3:15; Col. 3:16), then what comes from the heart will be that which reflects the Lord’s will in obedience. On the other hand, that which is bad is evil (in a heavenly/spiritual context); it’s as if one lived in the midst of snakes. From the heart comes only that which is bad and, consequently, it is a speaking against the Holy Spirit and His mission, thus not obeying Him. In a Christian era context, one can still be guilty! RT

Eyes, Heart and Radiance (Word to the Wise)

01 Friday Jan 2016

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The light of the eyes rejoices the heart, And a good report makes the bones healthy (Proverbs 15:30, NKJV). When one allows that which is holy to enter in through the eyes, then the heart is not affected adversely by that which is destructive. The Lord said something on this in Matthew 5:29 when He spoke about the eye causing one to stumble. The focus of the passage is lust associated with adultery, and how one needs to avoid it. When one allows holiness to enter in, then the strength of one’s psychology and emotion holds up strong when the storm comes along. Others interpret this proverb along these lines: “You’re a sight for sore eyes!” In other words, a radiant face can brighten up a discouraging day, and when that radiant face brings some good words, then all the better! RT

Romans (2)

15 Tuesday Sep 2015

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When Paul wrote his letter to the church at Rome he knew well the difficulties associated with living as the Lord’s light in the midst of a dark world. He also knew what it was to live in a world with competing ideas, even ideas that once came from God; this is what Paul addressed in chapter 2. The problem was not (and never has been) God, but those who identify themselves with God. This the Jews did. As Paul addressed the Jewish mindset, he addressed that which plagues man in general, and not just the Jews; that which plagued them (and us) is hypocrisy. With regard to their way of thinking, they insisted on having others obey the standard in Moses’ Law, but those insisting did not even live by the standard they affirmed. This hypocrisy brought discredit to them and to the Lord they so readily promoted. Moreover, the Jewish mindset was a mindset that did not even understand the purpose of Moses’ Law; they placed emphasis on physical obedience when there should have been emphasis placed upon the heart, that is, they were to obey from the heart the Lord’s will (2:28-29). With the heart properly motivated, godly obedience follows naturally.

 

 

A Merry Heart and Joy (A Word to the Wise)

27 Thursday Aug 2015

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A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Proverbs 15:13, NKJV). The word “merry” should be understood as “joyful.” Thus, a joyful heart affects one’s disposition (attitude) in such a way that the radiance of the joy within can’t help but to come out. On the other hand, when the heart is sorrowful or experiencing a good deal of pain, then the disposition will also show itself. These are normal emotional responses in the life of each of us. For a Christian the joy of the heart is much greater than that which affects it on the outside. Whatever it is in the experiences of man that brings joy, it is one’s joy in the Lord that supersedes them all. This joy is related to “peace” (Romans 5:1). What is in your heart? RT

A Word to the Wise

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in Proverbs, Wisdom

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The heart knows its own bitterness, and no stranger shares its joy (Proverbs 14:10, NKJV). In his prayer of dedication, Solomon appealed to the Lord to hear the prayers of all who turn toward to newly built Temple, reflecting the affliction in the land and in the hearts of those plagued with sin (1 Kings 8:38, ESV). Who has no affliction of the heart on occasion? Perhaps there are more who struggle with this than others know, but certainly the Lord knows! Those who don’t struggle in the same way, be sure to pray for those who do. The heart of a person is where the very issues of life are stored (Proverbs 4:23). Those issues are both the joys and sorrows that all carry. When the joy is overwhelming, let us praise the Lord. When the sorrows are weighty, let us turn to the Lord, for only He can relieve us of our burden (1 Peter 5:6-7).

The Pain and Teaching

19 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by in Affliction/Persecution, Jesus, Teaching

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                I cannot imagine that there is a single person of good sense who thinks the idea of affliction being experienced is a good thing—yet that is exactly what the Holy Spirit said! “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, That I may learn Your statutes” (Psalm 119:71, NKJV). As you reflect on the sentiment of the Holy Spirit, reflect on the latter part of the verse. The key to understanding is in learning what needs to find a place in the heart. Earlier in the largest of the Psalms, David wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You” (119:11)! Paul says something similar when he wrote to the church in Colossae, “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” (Colossians 3:16).

We all struggle with doing what is right; we understand there is such a thing as right and wrong, but the overpowering pull of that which is wrong seems to pull us against our will in its direction. It only seems this way; in fact, it is this way because in our weakness we give in. It’s not that the pull is (was) so strong that we could not resist, it’s that we did not resist. The difference is notable. Thus, when the psalmist said that it was good to suffer affliction it was not because of the pain and aggravations that it brought, but because of the teaching it brought. Who of us has not already experienced such things? I have.

A Direct Influence

15 Wednesday Jan 2014

Posted by in Faithfulness

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If from the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, and if one can be known by the quality of the fruit produced, then it is reasonable to conclude that both the words spoken and the deeds done are indicative of a person’s heart. People are able to see this and judge. People of maturity understand this, but people full of sin (or self) are quick to point out that one (especially one who is a Christian) is not allowed to judge another, especially one guilty of sinful behavior. It is interesting that these are the same people who look upon the Lord and faithfully proclaim they would NEVER deny Him, but their lives have denial written all over them. The deeds we do, the words we speak, and the thoughts we think reflect directly on (or against) the Lord’s influence in our lives.

Speaking what is in the heart

11 Wednesday Dec 2013

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That is what Paul did. He wrote to the Corinthians, “And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, ‘I believed and therefore I spoke,’ we also believe and therefore speak” (2 Cor. 4:13, NKJV). Not only did Paul do this, but the apostles at large did this as well. “But Peter and John answered and said to them, ‘Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.’” (Acts 4:19-20). The point is rather clear: that which is in the heart will express itself. Jesus said this (Matthew 12:35), the apostles said this, and life’s experiences teach us this. A lesson to be learned, then, is with what do we fill our heart? RT

 

The Veil Over the Heart

13 Friday Sep 2013

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Paul spoke with disappointment when he mentioned the Jews of his day having listened to the reading of the Scripture with a veil over their hearts (2 Corinthians 3:13-15). Because they shielded their hearts from understanding God’s word, that shield actually played a significant role in them crucifying Jesus (Acts 13:27).

The veil (or shield) that is over the heart when God’s word is read is a shield that distracts. For instance, when one is reading the Scripture and sleepiness settles in, the shield is in place; when one reads and one is thinking about lunch, the shield is in place; when one reads, but the previous evening’s events are on the mind, the shield is in place. All of us understand why and how distractions find a home, but Satan is especially pleased.

Many of the Jews were guilty of placing a veil over the heart because they wanted to be distracted from what the Scripture said. If they heard what the Scripture said, that might turn their hearts away from prejudice and encourage them to walk toward Christ. This, however, would have meant  being ostracized from the Jewish community, which could also include one’s livelihood.

Distractions can be so powerful that we eventually turn away because we no longer desire to hear the Lord, lest we have to turn away from our comfortable routines. Besides, there is too much on the mind! “The mind is racings and I can’t concentrate,” someone might say. Regardless of where the distractions come, when they come and we are not on our guard, that for which the Jews were guilty will be the same with us. Paul said the gospel is veiled only to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 4:3-4). Perhaps you ought to give a little more thought to this.