1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”
Psalm 139:23,24
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 119:80
Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, That I may not be ashamed.
The heart of mankind is naturally deceitful, even deceiving itself. For the eyes look upon what a person wants, desires even, and sets in motion the steps required to attain the thing that is sought after; at times without even thinking of the consequences.
But the heart that has given itself to God has won the struggle for survival: it has chosen eternal life and everything else that God has promised to His faithful followers. However the opposite is also true: those whose hearts are against God and God's Word have opted for eternal death and every curse God has promised to the wicked heart.
A heart that is focused on self-serving desires instead of God-serving desires will not be able to obtain that which is needed most to survive: God-given forgiveness for sins. The self sees only the immediate and demands immediate gratification. But the person who has surrendered their will to God's will has chosen the better way: the way to Grace, Mercy, Peace, Hope, Sustainability.
A heart that beats for Jesus collaborates with its Savior. He is, after all, working all things together for my good. All things: the good that happens in life, the tragic that happens in life, the awful that happens in life = God uses all these to make me a better person with a strong testimony that I might be a faithful witness and lift JESUS up for all the world to see.
A heart that beats for Jesus beats in unison. For Christ is in me and I am in Him. He is mine and I am His. When The Father says, "Go", we go. When The Father says, "Stop", we stop. When The Father speaks, we hear His voice, listen to His words and obey His instructions. As you know, "Faith comes by hearing, hearing by The Word of God" [Romans 10:17].
A heart that is broken for God is mended by God in God's time according to God's Ways. This heart is surrendered to God and longs to be near to Him. So close that His breath is in my ear and His Spirit is visible and His Son is by my side. Oh, how the believer's heart yearns to be in God's eternal presence!
Come and go with me. Walk with me as I walk with Jesus. Let us walk in God's Word together. The journey is nearly over, the race is nearly finished. Soon, the faithful servants shall hear their Father say to them, "Well done, My good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of The Lord." [Matthew 25:21].
We can't see inside each other's hearts. But God knows who are His and who are not. However, we can see each other's actions. If you say you are a Christian, then you should be Christ-like. That's what being Christian means: the believer lives in Christ. He is our Promised Land, our everything good that comes for God residence. When the term 'Christian' was first used, it was an epithet, an insult. But it was received as an acknowledgement of the change which Christ had wrought in the hearts of those who believe Him and received Him. Being called Christian was a reason to rejoice then and now.
I am a Christian. I live in Christ. And He lives in me. Can you see the changes God has wrought in me?
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