B
– PERFECTING THE HEART – 2
The importance of our
thinking with regard to our attitudes and our actions has been shown. It involved thinking about what is true,
honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good report. All six of these things are excellent and
worthy of praise. Phil.4:8 These will begin
our path of perfecting our heart and growing into a more spiritual life. These characteristics are what our thoughts
must dwell upon. As we think, so will we
be. Prov.23:7
As we attempt to follow
this path with our thoughts, our hearts can sometimes become divided. We may know what the Scripture says, but we
begin to trust our own thinking instead.
Prov.3:5 It is imperative that we have a deep and
thorough trust in Jesus. We must trust
Him with ALL of our heart. It seems the old saying is true; if we give in an
inch, the devil will take a mile. One
step out of our thought filter makes the next step easier. The pride we have in our own thinking can be
very destructive. Prov.16:18 We may know this
verse but don’t take it seriously until we have fallen. Obad.3 Jesus gives us instruction on
pride. Lk.18:14 We divide our
heart when we think too highly of self. Rom.12:3
So as we work to perfect our heart, we can always depend and trust
in our God to help us. Ps.46:1,2
Along with pride our
heart can contain jealousy and selfish ambition. Jam.3:14 Great plans can proceed from a proud
heart but no thought is taken for the good of others. As we perfect our hearts we want to be like
Jesus. What did Jesus do? He went about doing good. We can be successful in a profession or
whatever kind of work we involve ourselves in but if we are perfecting our
heart, others are on our mind with their welfare. Eph.2:10 God did not create us to serve
ourselves.
We see others succeeding—maybe
even growing spiritually as they work at perfecting their heart—and we become
jealous. Prov.14:30 Envy instills
many evil passions in the heart that divides the heart from perfection to
worldliness. It is a passion that can
creep in unaware. Gal.5:26
One divider of our
heart is money. 1 Tim.6:10 This is a common
Scripture in studying money. It is not
the money but the love of it that divides our heart. Money or treasure is a real test of our heart. Money is precious to us. It is difficult for people to trust God to
care for their needs enough to let go of it and tithe. Excuses abound and in our heart we think we
are being wise. Matt.6:21 Malachi gives us
such a rich explanation of our giving. Mal.3:10
Some say this is the O.T. but the N.T. tells us to exceed the
righteousness of the Pharisees. Matt.5:20
We cannot let money and treasures divide our heart. We think, then plan, and then too often want
more. Lk.12:34 Money can become an
obsession with us.
Sometimes we do enough
of the “right” things then we think we are just fine with God. Jam.1:26 Our heart is deceived and thus divided. This verse reminds us that as we think in our
heart—we speak. Our tongue is hard to
bridle but can we say that our thoughts are hard to bridle? When we lose the focus of keeping our
thoughts within the area of our filter, our words will be out of control. Just this one fault could make our “religion”
of no value. Our speech shows what is on
the inside.
With the media so
easily accessible today, our heart can easily be divided with impure
desires. In early days the hearts were
so filled with evil desires that finally God just gave them over to the desires
of their hearts. Rom.1:24 As we spend hours
soaking up what we see and hear without filtering it in God’s way, we become
desensitized; our hearts become hard and we forget to whom we belong. 1 Cor.6:19,20 We might listen to the wrong one and
begin to doubt. Lk.24:38 We no longer can
perfect or even are interested in perfecting our hearts. Our hearts can be hardened. Heb.3:8,12 Our choices determine our master. Who are we serving—self and our own desires
or the One who will save us and take us with Him for all eternity? We exchange a bit of pleasure now for an
eternity of pleasure with a perfected heart.
There are times when
our choices of friends becomes a divider.
Jam.4:4 We have a desire to perfect our heart
and yet we love our friends and thus let them lead us. We want to please them. Gal.1:10 Maybe they keep us from services with
entertainment which would be acceptable at a different time. 1 Cor.15:33 Friendships can cause us to participate in
activities not acceptable to Jesus. 1 Pet.4:4
Sometime we forget that
God can see what we are thinking. This
was evident when some scribes were with Jesus.
They were reasoning in their
hearts. Jesus knew what they were
thinking. Mk.2:6,8 We can be full of
excuses and justify our thoughts over and over.
It may work in the eyes of men; however, God knows our heart. Lk.16:15
Those around us may think very highly of us but God may see a
different side of us. To perfect our
heart, we must be open and sincere as we consciously attempt to be a true
follower of Jesus.
Paul asked a question
of the Galatians that we don’t want a necessity of that same question to be
asked of us. Gal.3:3 We don’t want that
joyful beginning of perfecting our heart through the help of the Holy Spirit
and then fall back to the world. Jesus’
parable of the seed indicated this state of affairs with the seed that fell on
the rock. Matt.13:20,21 If we let our
heart become divided, this is what will happen.
May we keep the goal of
perfecting our heart and keep pressing on toward that goal. Phil.3:12 Jesus suffered and left us an
example. Follow Him. 1
Pet.2:21
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