THE HEART OF MAN
Joy Murickal Issac, Kerala
Each animal can communicate within its own category - dogs communicate with dogs, elephants with elephants. Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26,27), allowing him to communicate with God by their conscience. This conscience makes man precious, accountable, and free.
Further, this reveals that man is not the product of evolution but God's special creation. The Bible clearly talks about the heart of man in many instances, revealing its utmost importance.
Importance
A normal understanding of the human heart is that it is the blood-pumping organ of the human body. The Bible gives no special significance to this biological heart than any other organ in the human body. Whereas, in the Bible, the heart represents the totality of the mind - the centre of our thoughts, imaginations and will (Proverbs 4:23).
Intangible qualities such as love, kindness, hope, faith, and courage are associated with the heart. Its quality and quantity make everyone special and precious. The Bible describes God as intangible. Thus, the most valuable gift we possess is our heart.
From this perspective, the heart of man is the most powerful, revolutionary, complicated, and unseen organ. When we dig into the Word of God, we see how significant the heart of man is. Everything begins from there.
Evaluation
Starting with the first sin and then Cain and Abel, God asks questions to reveal man’s conscience. In Genesis 6:5, we see man's heart become corrupted, leading to complete degradation. Such a worse heart condition leads mankind to judgment. God always pays attention to the inner heart of man.
When selecting the next king over Israel, God instructed Samuel not to consider height or physical appearance. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'" (1 Samuel 16:7).
We should never forget; that God evaluates our hearts and accordingly deals with us. More than anything else, we need to make sure the condition of our hearts is right before God. For from the heart originates all evil (Matthew 15:18–20).
We must seriously examine, if Almighty God scans our hearts today what would be the outcome? Take time to reflect. "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks." (Luke 6:45).
Our Lord Jesus Christ is clear in His teachings. God is concerned about our hearts and thoughts. Consider Luke 5:22, "But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, 'Why are you reasoning in your hearts?'"
Transformation
Salvation begins from the heart. We must set our hearts right first. Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:9-10). Conviction, confession, repentance, etc., all originate from the heart.
When one is born again, the Lord begins to dwell in their heart. It is the Lord’s desire and pleasure to enter and reside in the hearts of His disciples (Reve. 3:20; John 14:23).
Saturation
Furthermore, we ought to study and memorize the scripture regularly to saturate our hearts with the Word of God (Colo. 3:16). It is the heart that is filled with the word of God that protects one from temptations (Psa. 119:11).
Remember, God has revealed precious and valuable things through His Word. We ought to keep those things in our hearts as seeds planted in fertile ground. However, before those good seeds can grow and bring fruit, hearts need to be broken and prepared, as we do with a fallow ground before cultivation (Jeremiah 4:3; Luke 8:15).
Caution
Any spiritual service without our whole heart in it is a waste. God will not accept it. "'These people draw near to Me with their mouth and honour Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.'" (Matthew 15:8-9). Never forget, that He reads our hearts and even our emotions (Luke 7:38,39).
Let's strive to keep our hearts obedient to God. Forget not that the Holy Spirit dwells within our hearts to lead, equip and sanctify us completely. Cultivate a gentle, noble heart. May the Lord find delight in its beauty. May His name be glorified forever.
Related topic: BROKENNESS: BASIS FOR BLESSINGS
24/08/2023
