A Quick Note: in the election year of 1968 President Lyndon B. Johnson, use the phrase “I come to you with a heavy heart”…I simply go back to that time and add this little note for one very special reason. Our heart and what’s in it is the very essence of who we are. This was just one instance where someone laid bear the feelings of their heart. I hope you find something of importance or meaning in this blog today that will give you “peace of heart.”

We have examined many different factors that are part of not only finding the good way, but of walking in the Good Way. I will share with you upfront that the Pastor’s sermon this past Sunday at church led me to this subject for our blog today. We’re going to spend some time kind of traveling through scripture as we examine this. A lot of what we do along the good way is a matter of heart. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 4:23… guard your heart above all else for it determines the course of your life. All through our life, we hear about matters of the heart and maybe we don’t fully grasp what’s being said, but from a  religious and believer’s standpoint it’s the very core of our inner life. It controls our thoughts emotions and our will. It is considered the “wellspring of life”. As I begin to read and study biblical perspectives of the heart, I found there was no lack of information available. From proverbs we learn that our heart is often deceitful and in need of transformation. In Jeremiah 17:9 we read…the human heart is the most deceitful of all things and desperately wicked, who really knows how bad it is. Next we encounter Matthew 15: 19…these are words that Jesus spoke… from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. God is not misled by appearances, we as humans tend to do so, but God focuses on our hearts as we read in the following scripture.1 Samuel 16:7…but the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height before I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. To put it simply in Layman’s terms God looks at our hearts, this focus of our God weighs heavily in his judgment of us. You might say that the heart is the center of faith and love. We read in Mark12: 30…Love the Lord, your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength. The importance of the heart is further emphasized in Romans 10:10… For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Jesus taught that the mouth speaks from the abundance of the heart. You can find that in Matthew 12: 34…You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. The simple meaning being that actions in words reveal the true condition of the inner person. After all of these words, we find ourselves back at proverbs 4:23. All of our actions and our words are indicators of our inner self. We can also make note of Psalm 51:10…create in me a pure heart oh God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. So how do we put all this together after reading in scripture how important the function of the heart is in our relationship with God and our fellow man? Perhaps the best solution would be a new heart. Now we’re not speaking of a heart transplant as we understand it but a Godly heart.That is possible only through our faith in the God we serve. We go back to scripture and to Ezekiel 36:26…I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will remove from you, your heart of Stone and give you a heart of flesh. There are many other scriptures concerning this subject and the best place to learn is in the Scriptures. But sometimes for some of us, it becomes exhausting, so I’m going to simply a list of a few things that are practical as a means of encouraging you to listen to your heart. You have been instructed to guard your heart to trust it, try listening to your heart more. We know that the Bible advises, trusting in the Lord with all your heart and leaning not on your own understanding, you will find that in proverbs 3:5… find peace within yourself, Jesus offers peace specifically for the heart telling his followers let not your hearts be troubled which we find in John 14:27. Thank you for joining us in the Pew, come back next week.

Life is Good

jk