He Knows My Heart

“Well, God knows my heart.” How many times have you heard someone say that? Have you said it yourself? I have. Most often we mean that our heart is right and we had good intentions, but somehow our actions didn’t quite live up to the expectations of our heart. “But God understands—He knows my heart.”

The truth of the matter is: God does know our hearts. He knows us better that we even know ourselves. Psalm 44:21 tell us, He knows the secrets of the heart. In those moments when we are really honest with God and ask Him to shine the light of His Holy Spirit on our lives, He will reveal things to us that need to be changed. And when we are faced with His displeasure, we find ourselves wishing we had just remained in ignorance, because now that we know, we have to decide: Will we live in such a way that we continue to displease Him, or will we obey what He is telling us to do?

Jeremiah 17:9 says, The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. That’s not what I want to hear from God’s Word. I like to think of myself as a good person who lives right. But the Word makes it clear that all of us have wicked hearts. The Lord said in Genesis 8:21 that the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.

No amount of trying to be good will change a wicked heart. Outward changes can be made, but they will be short lived if the heart is not changed. The only One who can change a heart is God. It is easy for us to comprehend that sinners have wicked hearts. But even those of us who are His children can be deceived into believing that our hearts are in much better condition than they really are. It is only when we ask Him to search our hearts and show us what is inside that we become aware of the truth. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

Father, I am asking You to search my heart and show me the areas of my life that need to change. I want to repent of the sin that You reveal, so that You will lead me in the way everlasting.

When Will You Bow?

On Easter Sunday, our congregation sang the words of a familiar chorus: He is Lord, He is Lord, He has risen from the dead and He is Lord, Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Philippians 2:8-11 says, Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (NASB).

There are many people who arrogantly assume that they can live their lives as they please without having to answer to their Creator. Even though nature shows proof of intelligent design, some are unwilling to acknowledge that mankind was created, choosing rather to believe that human beings came about by some process of evolution. For me, it takes more faith to believe that our complex bodies could have evolved, than it does to believe we were created by a loving God. I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

As we observe the world around us, we see that there are people in all walks of life, including the political arena as well as the movie and music industries, who seem to think they are gods themselves, and that they answer to no one. Everyone does what is right in his own eyes. They see no need to acknowledge the One who is greater than they, and seem to forget that they are mortal and will not physically live forever.  Proverbs 12:15 tells us, The way of a fool is right in his own eyes.

The above scripture from Philippians makes it clear that everyone will one day bow down to Jesus and call Him Lord. The question to ask is this: When? Will it be while you still live on this earth and have the opportunity to accept Christ as your Savior and Lord? Or will you wait until this earthly life is over and there is no more hope of salvation—when you are forced to bow down to Him as your Judge?

I am thankful for the free gift of salvation that is extended to anyone who will accept it. To receive, all you have to do is let go of your dependence on self and acknowledge that there is One greater than you who loves you and gave His life so that you could live! Choose to bow now. Make Jesus Lord of your life!

Prayer to Accept Christ

Dear Jesus, I admit that I am a sinner, and that I have lived my life to please myself rather than You. I am sorry and I repent. I ask You to forgive me. I believe that You died on the cross to save me. You did what I could not do for myself. I give my life to You and ask You to take control of it. Be the Lord of my life! Help me to live every day in a way that pleases You. I love You, Lord, and I thank You that I will spend eternity with You. Amen.