Heart Condition

Sunday’s Monday

I have had a fantastic week this week! This was my Meals on Wheels week and I always look forward to seeing my seniors. I discovered that one of my clients was the mother-in-law of a past school mate, as I got to meet her husband and that was a nice surprise. God blessed me with a gift from two young ladies who work at Claremont, NC City Hall, which made my day to the point of almost crying. I visited with a sister in which I hadn’t seen in a while and I enjoyed so much just talking with her and her husband. Thank you God for always knowing what it is I need before I need it!

1 Peter 1:22 (ESV), Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. God gave me this passage as a tool to measure my growth in His understanding. To eliminate any confusion, I looked up heart in kingjamesbibledictionary.com which states; The heart is the "home of the personal life," and hence a man is designated, according to his heart, wise (1 Kings 3:12, etc.), pure (Psalms 24:4; Matthew 5:8, etc.), upright and righteous (Genesis 20:5, 6; Psalms 11:2; 78:72), pious and good (Luke 8:15), etc. In these and such passages the word "soul" could not be substituted for "heart." The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Romans 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Genesis 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matthew 12:34; 15:18; comp. Ecclesiastes 8:11; Psalms 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezekiel 36:26; 11:19; Psalms 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God. The more I looked into the word heart, the more I realize that God’s gift is a clean or pure heart. However, there is a catch that I hadn’t considered before. My heart was made pure at the moment of my acknowledgement of Jesus as my Lord and Savior. It was at that moment in which the blood of Jesus washed away my sins, but just as anything we know, what is clean now will soon become soiled again without constant care. This is what the bible speaks of in 1 Timothy 1:5-6 (ESV), 5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion. We have a part to play in keeping our hearts pure or it will tarnish over, and we will start to drift away from those things of God, as we gradually (sometimes over long periods of years) accept those things which pleasure the flesh. Some will manipulate and alter the interpretation of God’s word to better suit their comfort requirements, while others will seek fame, glorification and power to replace the absence of God. Jesus made it the responsibility of each believer to maintain the condition of their heart. One of the greatest exercises toward keeping and maintaining a pure heart can be found in Philippians 4:8 (ESV), Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Once this becomes a daily habit, one will feel the heart growing stronger and love will freely flow from it. A true action love, carrying no condemnation, filled with concern, and comfort. A love which will lend itself to God’s calling toward making this world a better place for all to live. On that note I have to use the title of a song to describe the world as I see it filled with this kind of love; “I Can Only Imagine” by MercyMe. It is important to remember the checks and balances for the condition of a pure heart can be found in Hebrews 4:12 (ESV), 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. I have found in my spiritual growth, the more I affirm the power of God’s love working in my life the more valuable I become to each new day. God’s plan for my life, is for me to live as He would have me to, until He directs me to a specific path. In simple terms; I am to keep on, keeping on, sharing His love, for His glory and my sake!

HAVE A BLESSED WEEK BY BEING A BLESSING TO OTHERS!

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