“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” Proverbs 4 : 23
For the Lord, the most important thing is the heart, not the outward appearance. When God chose David to be anointed to be the king of Israel, He says to Prophet Samuel, “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 16:7b. It is proven that David had a gentle heart that was easy to be corrected, easy to repent and that only wanted to please the Lord’s heart. Because of David’s great heart, the Lord called him: “a man after my own heart.”
Why does the Lord care so much about our hearts? Because as our Creator, our hearts belong to Him; it is the first and most important thing. God wants our hearts to be pleasing to Him. Mark 7:21-23 says: “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Through these verses, God reveals that the evil things of this world are the result of the evil in the hearts of people.
These days, someone’s heart can be easily influenced by the bad situation that’s happening. Therefore, it is so important for God’s children to be more careful in guarding their hearts and examining the things of their hearts daily. In Psalm 26:2, David says to the Lord: Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my mind and my heart. Let this also be something we do so that the Holy Spirit can continue to remind us and sanctify our hearts from what is evil.
Let us always pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal the hidden things that are in our hearts, and let us be willing to be corrected by the Lord. Remember that the Lord does not see the outward appearance, but He sees the heart as the most important thing. If the Lord reminds us of the things we need to correct, let us say with humble hearts: “Forgive the stubbornness of my heart and sanctify my heart with Your blood, Jesus. Teach me to always have a pure heart.” 1 John 1:9 says: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Let us put on kindness, sincerity, purity and holiness as we approach the second coming of the Lord Jesus.
May God be with you and bless you abundantly
hs/Publishing Team, IBC Church