Category Archives: Heart

Allegiance, Bible, Circumcision, Covenant, Faith, God's Will, Grace, Heart, Rescue, Salvation, Scripture

ALL OR NOTHING

GALATIANS 5:3

“And I testify again to every man who has himself circumcised, that he is obligated to keep the whole Law.”

A common cheer or motto among team sports is “All for one and one for all.” That implies that if one falls, they all fall. It means they must all stick together. The team has to stick together and is stronger together than separate. That is a good thing. However, our verse today is talking about a negative side of that “all for one” mentality.

Circumcision was the distinguishing mark of Jews. Since Abraham, this has been done to the male children. It was and still is a physical sign of allegiance to God for them. This rite was being forced on the Gentile believers in Galatia. There were Jewish believers who believed that they had to continue to follow the Mosaic laws, which included circumcision. Paul correctly points out that if they were going to keep this one law, they should keep them all (which was and still is impossible). Circumcision was not bad. It just did not prove their faith.

APPLICATION

What are the things in your life that you do to show you are saved? I bet it is that big Bible you carry to church each Sunday. Perhaps it is the way you wear your hair or refrain from alcohol. You wear these as a badge of honor to prove your faith. Like circumcision, there is nothing wrong with a big Bible, short hair or not drinking, but none of those things will save you.

Jesus told the Pharisees in Matthew 22:25-26, “‘25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may also become clean.’” This still applies to us today. It’s not about what the world sees we are doing. It’s all about our heart. We cannot keep all the laws and we cannot keep all the traditions. We will fail.

I have met lots of people who have said, “I could never become a Christian. I am too bad. God could never forgive me.” That is exactly why they need a Savior. There is nothing we can do to gain His favor. We can’t be good enough. That is what Paul is saying to the Galatians, and that is what is still true for us today. All we need is Jesus. Let’s make our motto “All to One.” How about that?

O Lord, thank You for rescuing me and always being there for me. I give You my all.

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Abiding, Bible, Circumcision, Commands, Godliness, Heart, Scripture

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE OUTWARD

GALATIANS 2:3

“But not even Titus, who was with me, though he was a Greek, was compelled to be circumcised.”

Okay, I am not going to make this blog all about circumcision. First of all, it’s kind of an uncomfortable topic. Am I right? I didn’t have a voice in that personally. It happened when I was a baby. It is done outside of Judaism simply as a health and hygiene choice. It meant a lot more in the Jewish faith.

Why does Paul even bring this up? Because it was important for the Gentile churches he was writing to understand that this rite of circumcision was not required of them. Titus, being a Greek, was not forced to get circumcised when he accompanied Paul back to Jerusalem. The leaders of the church, all Jews at the time, did not believe that was necessary for salvation.

APPLICATION

What are you being coerced to do to be a “better” Christian? Is that why you attend church every time the doors are open? Do you feel compelled to go to that ladies’ luncheon or to the men’s breakfast to appear engaged in the church? There is nothing you can do on the outside to improve your life spiritually. You don’t earn brownie points by doing certain things or not doing others.

Romans 2:28-29 say it well, “28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from people, but from God.” It is totally an inward thing. Paul knew Titus loved the Lord his God. He didn’t need to prove that by getting circumcised.

So many religions are based on works and earning your way into a higher plain or nirvana or whatever they call it. You can rest in the fact that as a believer you are saved through the precious blood of the Lamb and nothing else. Yes, we need to obey His commands. Yes, we should strive to live holy. Just don’t fall into that trap of having to do. Just be!

Father, thank You for circumcising my heart, for sealing me with Your Spirit.

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Accountability, Deceit, God's Will, Heart, Integrity, Offering, Scripture

YOU CAN’T BRIBE GOD

MALACHI 2:12

“As for the man who does this, may the LORD eliminate from the tents of Jacob everyone who is awake and answers, or who presents an offering to the LORD of armies.”

Man, when we are in tight places, we’ll make all kinds of bargains with God. You may have heard the expression, “there are no atheist in foxholes.” We think if we are sincere enough, if we say it through enough tears, then God has to believe us. We forget that God can see right through those veiled vows.

Malachi warns the people in today’s verse of the same thing. He is referring back to yesterday’s verse when he says, “who does this.” “Who is awake and answers” refers to both passive and active sins, those who committed the sin and those who just stood by and watched. And then they went and offered sacrifices to try to gain God’s favor. God knew their hearts.

APPLICATION

How many times have you done this? Be honest, now. You went out one weekend and partied hard, sowing some wild oats. Then you are at the altar on Sunday morning begging God for a crop failure. Now, maybe you were truly sincere at that altar, maybe you were truly remorseful. But you have to remember that God knows the intent of your heart.

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says, “9‘The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? 10 I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, to give to each person according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.’” You can’t hide your heart’s intent. So, stop trying to do that.

I have found the best practice is to NOT DO THOSE THINGS, lol. I realize sin will be present in our lives until we go to glory. But we seriously can live lives that are holy and devoted to Him. How? By submitting daily to His will, you and I can avoid most of those bad decisions. We will give Him glory and praise Him for all our choices that honor Him. Practice that today!

Lord, I praise You for knowing my every thought. Help me stay focused on honoring You.

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Accountability, Belief, Bible, Curses, Emotions, God's Will, Heart, Knowledge, Scripture

I KNOW YOUR HEART

MALACHI 2:2

“‘If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to give honor to My name,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings; and indeed, I have cursed them already, because you are not taking it to heart.’”

Unfortunately, I have had the bad experience of trying to help an employee in their work but knowing that they would not change. I had one employee in South Carolina like that. I gave her multiple opportunities to correct her behavior. Each time she promised to change, but I knew in my gut she wouldn’t. In the end I had to terminate her employment, never a fun thing.

The Lord begins verse 2 by warning the priests what will happen if they don’t listen and take to heart to give Him honor. But look how He ends that verse. He says, “because you are not taking it to heart.” The Lord knew them. He knew their heart. He knew they would not turn from their ways. So, the curse would come, and they would pay the price.

APPLICATION

1 Kings 8:39 tells us, “then hear in heaven Your dwelling place, and forgive and act and render to each according to all his ways, whose heart You know, for You alone know the hearts of all the sons of men,” God knows our hearts as well as He knew the hearts of those rebellious priests in Malachi’s day. Actually, we are not much different.

Wow, that’s kind of harsh, Carl. Harsh, but true. We settle for the blemished offerings instead of offering God our best. We whine and complain about things if they don’t go our way. How are we any different if we don’t trust God’s heart. That’s the key, isn’t it? We have to trust His heart to lead us and guide us.

That can be a challenge sometime. God can lead us to do something that we do not want to do. Or He may lead us to just wait. That’s even harder. Proverbs 21:2 reminds us, “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the hearts.” Don’t trust your ways, trust God’s. It’s always right.

O God, I praise You for knowing all things, including my heart.

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Attitude, Bible, Devout, Following, Heart, Purity, Scripture, Worship

SNOBBY WORSHIP

MALACHI 1:9

“’But now, do indeed plead for God’s favor, so that He will be gracious to us. With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?’ says the LORD of armies.”

Have you ever visited a church, and no one spoke to you? You walked in, and no one greeted you. Perhaps you even sat down, and someone gave you the stare that meant you were sitting in their seat. Everyone seemed to have their nose up in the air as if they belonged there and you didn’t. You know what I am talking about. They almost seemed to give off the impression that they were doing God a favor by being there.

That is exactly what the Lord is addressing in today’s verse. These priests totally ignored God’s commands. They did as they pleased in regards to worship. God should be pleased. After all, they were doing something. Something is better than nothing, right? Nope, it’s not, and they will find out soon enough.

APPLICATION

How do you ensure your worship is pure and holy? How do you present yourself before the Lord? I want my worship to be what He wants, not what I want. If you are like me, I have my own preconceived ideas about worship. I like this or I don’t like that. I want the choir to sing this song. I want the pastor to preach longer (come on now, who says that, lol).

We are told that “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” That’s John 4:24. What does that mean? Albert Barnes says this about that verse. “A pure, a holy, a spiritual worship, therefore, is such as he seeks – the offering of the soul rather than the formal offering of the body – the homage of the heart rather than that of the lips.”

Oh, to do that each and every time we enter into worship. Worship is about our heart attitude, not what we sing or preach. It’s a heart issue. So, is your heart right when you enter into worship? Are you bringing in unresolved grudges or ill will towards someone? If you are, confess that and get your heart right before worship. Then your heart will be what God desires.

Father, help me worship You in spirt and in truth. Let my heart cry out to You.

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Bible, Chosen, Covenant, Emotions, God's Will, Heart, Love, Relationships, Scripture

I LOVE YOU

MALACHI 1:2

“‘I have loved you,’” says the LORD. ‘But you say, “How have You loved us?” Was Esau not Jacob’s brother?’ declares the LORD. ‘Yet I have loved Jacob;’” 

I honestly don’t remember the first time I told my wife, “I love you.” Before you start sending me emails (lol), it was a quick courtship. She knew she was going to marry me after our first date. I knew after the second, and I asked her to marry me on the third. God told us both to commit to each other. Our love blossomed quickly. I tell her daily that I love her because she needs to hear it and I need to say it.

I just love how the Lord starts his message to Israel by saying, “I have loved you.” In the Hebrew that is only two words, but two finer words could not have been written. The Hebrew word for “love” used here is the same word used in Deuteronomy 6:5. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Just as He loves, we are to love.

APPLICATION

1 John 4:19 tells us, “We love, because He first loved us.” Of course, we love Him. Look what He has done for us. He created us in His image. He gave us the Law to point us toward loving Him and loving others. He sent His only Son to die for us to show His love. What else do people need to see in order to see His love.

You have probably heard people say, “How could a loving God send anyone to hell?” The bottom line is – God does not do that. He is loving them and offering them a way of escape. Only their unrepentant hearts lead them to hell. God is love, we are told in 1 John 4:16. “We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.”

Do you know His love today? I pray you do. If you have not experienced the depths of His love, come to Him. Perhaps there is someone in your life who needs His love. Show them His love by the way you love them. God still uses people to perform His works. Love well.

God, You are love, and I want to dwell in it.

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Asking, Belief, Bible, Blasphemy, Choices, Confession, Heart, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Wrath

HARD-HEARTED

ZECHARIAH 7:12

“‘They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the LORD of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of armies.’”

I’ve known some pretty hard-hearted people in my days. They cared for no one but themselves and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. I later learned how damaged these people actually were. They had all been hurt by someone, so they decided to hurt before they got hurt again. It’s very sad.

The Lord refers to some individuals who “made their hearts as hard as a diamond.” The Hebrew word translated diamond can also be called adamant or flint. It was a hard rock or gem that could not be scratched or engraved. It was impervious to change. These people God is referring to had rejected the Holy Spirit’s leading through the prophets and were now destined for wrath.

APPLICATION

In Acts 7:51 Stephen gives us a good picture of this. “‘You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’” One of the most dangerous things you can do is resist the Holy Spirit. He is the One who draws us to the Father. He is the One who shows us the way to salvation and is the seal of that salvation.

Matthew 12:31 Jesus tells us, “‘Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.’” The unpardonable sin! Rejecting the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how many “chances” we have to respond. There may be a breaking point when the Holy Spirit stops wooing you if you continually reject Him. Just like those “hard as diamond” people in today’s verse, you refuse to be affected by the Spirit.

I am so grateful that I did respond on that day back in 1977. I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear. I continue to hear Him as He directs me each day. I pray if you are believer that you are hearing Him. And if you are not a believer, stop and listen. Ask the Spirit of God to speak to you. He will. Then you must decide how hard your heart really is.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Holy Spirit to woo me and win me. I am so glad He lives within me.

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Abiding, Bible, Commitment, Heart, Scripture

TAKE TO HEART

HAGGAI 2:18

“‘Do consider from this day onward, from the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month; from the day when the temple of the LORD was founded, consider:’”

In the past several years I have made a drastic change in the way I read and study God’s Word and spend time with Him. Every Man A Warrior (www.everymanawarrior.com) did that through its emphasis on memorizing and meditating on the Word of God. You could say I have truly taken to heart the meaning of doing a Quiet Time. It’s a passion for me now. The first thought on my mind each morning is getting with the Lord and listening for His voice.

What you can’t see in the English translation of verse 18 is the two different Hebrew words that are used for “consider.” Actually, in the Hebrew, it reads “Now consider, consider…” And the last word of the verse is again, consider. The second and last time “consider” is used, Haggai uses the word that really means “take to heart.” The verb comes from leb, the Hebrew word for heart.

APPLICATION

You are probably thinking Well, big deal, Carl. Now, listen. When you take something to heart that involves some serious contemplation. I am reminded of the commandment given to us in Deuteronomy 6:5-6. “5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart.” Twice the word “heart” is used there. It’s the same word used in Haggai 2:18.

So, let me ask you. What is your heart set on? What is your greatest desire? What drives your thoughts each and every day? Nothing has changed since these words were written by Haggai back around 520 B.C. That’s closing in on three thousand years ago. God’s commands and His words are timeless. We are still told to set our hearts on Him.

Let me encourage you today to examine your heart. See where it is set. If it is not set on Him, reset it. Make knowing Him your top priority. I promise you He will show Himself to you. Oh, how He loves you.

Oh, how He loves you and me. Oh, how He loves you and me. He gave His life. What more could He give? 

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