"And thou, Solomon my son, know thou
the God of thy father, and serve him with a
perfect heart and with a willing mind; for the
Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth
all the imaginations of the thoughts; if thou seek
him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake
him, he will cast thee off forever."
I Chronicles 28:9
As David instructed his son Solomon, we must know God and serve him with a loyal heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands the intent of our thoughts. We can hide nothing from God. The very secrets of our souls are open before him. He searches all hearts, even the hearts of kings, which to men are unsearchable. We are happy or miserable here, and forever, according as we do, or do not, serve God. God never casts any off until they have first cast him off.
Often religious people will say that certain things they believe are right because they feel it in their heart and point to their chest, indicating that organ located there. Is that the heart spoken of so much in God's word? I think not.
Webster's Collegiate-Dictionary gives several definitions of "heart". In this article, I will mention only two of them: 1. A hollow muscular organ that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of blood throughout the body. 2. One's innermost character, feelings, or inclinations.
The "heart" of the Bible, I believe is definition number two above. It describes our innermost feelings, shows our true character, the way we feel about things. (Proverbs 23:7) Though we may be able to hide our feelings from fellow man, we cannot conceal them from God, for He seeth not as man seeth. He can look into our hearts and know our innermost secrets. (I Samuel 16:7; Psalms 44:21).
John tells us to love not in word but in deed and in truth. Hereby we are enabled to know we are of the truth and have the means to assure our hearts before God. If, in spite of the assurances provided, we yet suffer uneasiness which comes from the realization of our own weaknesses and imperfections, let us remember that God is greater than our hearts; He knows all things and will deal with us not according to our conscience, but in harmony with the eternal and unchangeable principles of right. (I John 3:18-20) Jeremiah says that the Lord knows us and sees us, and tests our hearts. (Jeremiah 12:3) The Psalmist also mentions God testing the heart and mind. (Psalms 7:9).
We must constantly guard our heart lest Satan enters and fills it to do evil as he did Ananias and his wife Sapphira. (Acts 5: 1-11) We are not told how Satan filled their hearts to lie to the Holy Spirit. We do know that Ananias permitted Satan to fill his heart, and his wife was fully acquainted with his purpose and agreed to join him in the deception. They were held responsible for what they did in permitting Satan to prompt them to do evil.
We may not know from whence things may come to turn us away from God. In his old age, Solomon's heart was turned after other gods by his wives. (I Kings 11:4) To help us resist Satan's attempts to turn us away from God, we need to go to Him often in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving for all He has done for us. If we are persecuted, we should rejoice we are counted worthy to suffer shame for His name, and thank Him for it. (Acts 5:41) The peace of God which no one, from a human standpoint can understand, shall guard our hearts and thoughts. (Philippines 4:6-7).
Our Lord spoke of people who draw near to Him with their mouth and honor Him with their lips, but their hearts was far from Him. He called them hypocrites. (Matthew 15:7-9) Many people today act as hypocritically as those scribes and Pharisees Jesus described. They too, honor God with their lips, but their heart is far from Him. Their worship is vain when the precepts of men are used as doctrine. God sees the heart and knows that it is impure and will not accept such worship. Worship to God must be in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24).
When the Pharisees accused His disciples of transgressing the tradition of the elders by not washing their hands before eating, Jesus explained that it isn't what enters the mouth, but those things which come out of the mouth from the heart, that defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornication, thefts, false witness and blasphemies. (Matthew 15:17-20) To help keep the heart pure, one should think of true, pure, and lovely things. (Philippines 4:8) Jesus also compared the scribes and Pharisees to whited sepulchres which appear beautiful outwardly but within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness. Outwardly one can appear righteous to men, but be full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. (Matthew 23:27-28).
God wants to rule in our hearts. He wants all of us, not just a part of us. Christian servants were told to serve their masters in the flesh with fear and trembling, as unto Christ, not as men pleasers; but doing the will of God from the heart. (Ephesians 6:5-6) Servants of Christ must apply the principles of Christ in their work. The service is to be a faithful service, rendered from the heart. To do the will of God may sometimes require courage.
Nowadays there are labor unions and combinations among workmen, with a view of protecting their rights. They may sometimes be dominated by selflshness, and act tyrannically. A Christian workman may be in a position of choosing between the Lord and incurring the ill will of fellow-workers. If he is worthy of the Lord he will brave the consequences of rendering faithful service because he must be faithful to Christ rather than to man.
To help our heart to be in the right place we are told not to lay up treasures here on earth where rust, moths, or thieves can take them from-us, but to lay them up in heaven where they cannot be corrupted or stolen. (Matthew 6:19-2 1).
Christ admonished His disciples not to be troubled in heart, but to believe in God and in Him. (John 14: 1) The pure in heart are to be blessed for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:9) We are to let the peace of God rule in our hearts. (Colossians 3:15) The peace of God is the peace He bestows on those who love Him and obey Him.
Our hearts must be right before we can worship God acceptably. If we have any problem between us and a brother; we need to be reconciled before our worship will be acceptable to God. (Matthew 5:23-24) Reconciliation to a brother must change from that of anger to that of love for our worship to be pleasing to God.
A certain lawyer asked Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him what was written in the law, he answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy strength, and with all they mind." (Luke 10:25-27) One who loves God in this way will want to obey all of God's commandments.
To be saved and be acceptable to God, we must have a change of heart. On the day of Pentecost, those to whom the Apostles were preaching were pricked in their heart and asked what they must do. (Acts 2:37) Peter's answer to them still applies to us today. One must believe, repent, and be baptized for the remission of sins.(Acts 2:3 8; Romans 10: 9- 10) If you are yet living in sin, we pray that God will open your heart to His , word as He did for Lydia. (Acts 16:14), and that you will believe with all your heart and be baptized. Then you can rejoice as did the enuch after Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:37-39).
Obedience from the heart requires that the mind, the will, and the affections should all enter into the service. Service to Christ must be from the heart-that is, an outward performance springing from the desire to obey God. Paul was thankful to God that those to whom he was writing in Rome had obeyed from the heart and were set free from sin. (Romans 6:17-18).
Christians who have been unfaithful and not serving the Lord as they should, need to repent of their wickedness and pray to God, if the things wrong in their life might be forgiven them. Or, as Simon who sought to buy the gift of God, you may ask others to pray for you. (Acts 8:18-24).
Is thy heart right with God?
Washed in the crimson flood,
Cleansed and made holy,
Humble and lowly
Right in the sight of God?