Have you ever thought it peculiar that we celebrate Jesus's birth by giving
gifts to each other! Isn’t that the equivalent to a birthday party where each
person brings a gift for another party-goer, but not for the person whose
birthday it is? Historians do not agree on the
origin of gift-giving. Many date the custom to the 4th century Bishop St. Nicholas
who gave to the poor on Christmas day, perhaps mindful of
Jesus’ words, “Whatever you did unto one of the least, you did unto me” (Matt. 25:40).
In recent years, there has been a trend to give donations to the needy
in another’s name. For example, a few years ago, I received a card that said, “$50 has been given in your name to a buy Bibles for pastors in China.” The next year it was chickens to Africans. While such gifts fit the spirit of Jesus' words, there is something more: one thing He desires with all of His heart—“your” heart. You may be thinking, “I've already given Him that.” Yet, it is the quintessential gift that keeps on giving. And He never tires of receiving.
Many times Jesus said to His followers, “You have heard it said… but I say to you...” He was intent on correcting their misunderstanding of the heart of the Law, and thus, the Father's heart. As a teacher, I know people “hear” things differently, sometimes hearing things I didn't even say! No doubt Jesus was aware of this “I-thought-I-heard-you-say” phenomenon, because He often said, “Let him who has ears to hear, hear...”
Allen Greenspan eloquently captured the essence of this hearing problem: “I know you think you understand what you thought I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” So, Paul says, “For this reason, we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard” (Heb. 2:3). Even as Jesus warned against those who have ears but fail to hear, and worse, cannot remember what they heard (Mark 8:18).
There is a spiritual principle that asserts ‘you cannot live beyond your vision’—we are limited by what we see. The same goes for hearing. Jesus said, “Be careful what you hear. The closer you listen, the more understanding you will be given—and you will receive even more” (Mark 4:24, NIV, NLT). Did you know that Charles Stanley always draws emphasis to his important points by saying, "Now listen up."
“Just say a little prayer,” one of Dionne Warwick’s popular songs, is not something you’ll find in the Bible. Yet countless people have been promised “If you say a little prayer, you are saved.” Billy Graham once said he thought only a fourth of those who said the sinner’s prayer at his crusades were really born again. In 2011, a George Barna survey seemed to confirm that; the survey showed that nearly half of all adults in America have prayed a little prayer and believe they are going to heaven, even though, afterward, they never attended a church or read the Bible.
In the parable of the sower, the seed that fell on rocky or thorny ground couldn’t take root and it died. Paul described true believers as those who are firmly rooted and then built up in Christ (Col. 2:7). A seed that doesn’t take root doesn’t grow. But why do some seeds take root while others don't?
The answer is simple. The Bible says “with your heart you believe” (Ro 10:9). Only God can open the heart. And if the heart is not genuinely open to receive the seed of Christ, it will never be rooted. So, the little prayer is not the issue. As A.W. Tozer said, “It isn’t the wording that’s important; it’s the state of the heart of the one saying it.” Paul says you will always reap what you sow (Gal. 6:7). But you cannot reap from a seed that never got planted in the first place.
The campaign question “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” is loaded. Everyone will answer based on his or her own circumstances. Personally, I’m much better off than I was 4 years ago. My relationship with Jesus (and thus with my wife and children) just keeps getting better!
All mankind has an inborn desire for something ‘better.’ It is this ‘law of better’ that drove the early American settlers out West and astronauts into space, and drives researchers to discover the cure for cancer. But none of these pursuits will satisfy man’s desire for “better” because as Pascal said, it is “a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man” which can only be filled by God. The author of Hebrews used the word “better” 12 times, i.e., better hope, better promises, better possessions, a better country (Heb. 7:19; 8:6; 10:34; 11:16) as if speaking to this primal drive. But after we are born again, this desire doesn't stop. The Holy Spirit “keeps pressing us on to better things” (6:1, 9).
We’re all familiar with the colloquialism, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence” in regard to each person’s pursuit of better things. Ironically, it seems James speaks right to it, “No sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass [on the other side of the fence]” (James 1:11). How do you measure whether you are better off than you were four years ago?
One of the most profound statements of divine intention is found in Paul’s Mars Hill sermon where he explains to the Greek god-seekers: God’s purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us (Acts 17:27). It seems that God positions Himself in a celestial game, respectfully, of “hide-and-seek.”
Imagine how we would frustrate our children if, while playing hide-and-seek, we were to leave the house and never return. “How cruel,” you say? But in the real world, some parents do this, leaving their families for a lover or an adventure, or just because they don’t want to be a parent anymore. For all practical purposes, they remain hidden from their youngsters’ eyes, surfacing years later, to be greeted with that long-unanswered question, “Where were you?”
I am no anthropologist, but I can imagine that “hide-and-seek” is a cross-cultural phenomenon. Why?—because it is so deeply psychological. Playing hide-and-seek teaches children that their parents will always be there for them; and though Daddy or Mommy are unseen for a moment, they are there; they will be found. Our heavenly Father says, "I love you who love me and diligently seek me. And when you search for Me with all your heart, I will be found by you, and, moreover, I will never leave or abandon you (Prov. 8:17: Jer. 29:13-14; Heb 13:5).
Political comics and cartoonists are having a field day with the double entendre of the ultra-conservative VP’s heart transplant: cartoonists picture him in the recovery room with a “change of heart”—transformed into a liberal Democrat! Of course a “new heart” doesn't mean a “change of heart.” But wouldn’t it be great if it were that easy. But isn’t that God's promise through Ezekiel? “I will give you a new heart... I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (36:26).
Just as the doctors had to remove Cheney's disease ridden heart before replacing it with a new one, God does heart surgery on us, removing the things that make us sick before doing a new thing in our lives. Getting a new heart is a one-time operation but a change of heart is an ongoing procedure.
There's a fascinating spiritual analogy here. Humans have an immune system which protects the body against foreign invasions, i.e., infections. When the immune system perceives the new heart to be 'foreign' matter, it rejects it. Thus, a recipient of a new heart must take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life. Similarly, even though we have received a new heart, a change of heart will be resisted by a fleshly instinct to fight it (Gal. 5:17). The antidote to a “flesh” takeover is a daily heart examination by the Word of God (Ps. 26:2; 119:9, 67). And even after your new heart results in a change of heart, you will need to watch over it with all diligence.” (Prov. 4:23).
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come... the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world" (1 John 2:18; 4:3).
We all know about the Holy Spirit’s work in the world to draw people to Jesus. And we are also aware of His work in our hearts—convicting, cleansing and perfecting us (John 16:8; 2 Cor. 7:1). The Holy Spirit is guiding us to God's truth, and preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord.
But there is another spirit at work in the world—the spirit of antichrist is preparing hearts for the antichrist's arrival. Though we know the antichrist will come in the last days, the spirit of antichrist is already here—working to set up things for his kingdom by lying to and deceiving people. So when the antichrist makes his public appearance, millions will have already been prepared for him; he already has their hearts and minds.
“False messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God's chosen ones. Watch out! I have warned you about this ahead of time!” (Mar 13:21-23)
The expression “I have no heart for that” means to have no enthusiasm for it. The phrase came to my mind after reading this quote by Andrew Murray: “Jesus has carried away our hearts with Him. We have no heart left for anyone but Him, or for anything that He is not part of.” The phrase “she/he stole my heart” also came to mind. Logically (I thought), if someone’s heart had been carried away or stolen, then they would have no heart—they would be heartless.
Now of course the word “heartless” has an entirely different connotation, doesn't it! It means ‘devoid of feelings.’ I fear, however, that this word may indeed be more characteristic, than not, of too many professing Christians who have little or no heart for the deeper things of God.
Jesus said the entire Law could be summed up in this statement: “Love the Lord God with all your heart” (Matt. 22:37). Think about it! If we truly did that, we would be anything but “heartless.” We would be “heartfull”—because God would fill our hearts with His love, comfort, and joy; he would fill us with the fruit of righteousness, with the knowledge of His will; we would be full of His Spirit, who would then fill us with His fullness. (Rom. 5:5; 2 Cor. 7:4; Eph 5:18; Phil. 1:11; Col 1:9; Eph 3:19). Heartless? No! "Heartfull?" Yes!
Are you confused about the economy? You should be. On the front page of today’s financial section, a bold headline declared: “Job Market Expected to Expand.” Then on page two, another bold headline shouted: “Worries about More Job Layoffs.” There you have it: one day, unemployment is coming down more slowly than expected, and the next, the pace appears to be quickening. Confusion reigns!
But, our “God is not a God of confusion, but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33). Confusion comes of the devil, because there is no truth in him. He is a liar, and will always try to confuse, deceive, and mislead us. We must be alert to his strategy. You can be sure that in this financially worrisome season, Satan is working overtime to get us to focus on troubling situations, so to keep us from remembering that God is greater than our circumstances, and forgetting Jesus’ words: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)
In these confusing times, you can be sure that there is no unemployment among Satan and his minions. Yes, they are fully employed in stirring up confusion and unbelief. Let us, therefore, make it our occupation to be fully employed in things above (Col. 3:2).
If, and I emphasize “if,” the Lord’s return is near, we are about to enter a time tribulation. The Bible says at the end of the age, no economy on Earth will prosper. Only food (not gold) will retain its value. People will spend a whole day’s wages just for enough to feed themselves (Rev. 6:6). Those who trust in the things of this world for their security will find they have nothing.
The Book of Revelation calls them “Earth Dwellers” (3:10). Earth Dwellers will be judged. The word “dwellers” refers to where one’s heart is—not just one’s physical location. In contrast to believers who are aliens and sojourners upon the earth (1 Pet. 2:11) and whose hope is heavenward (Heb. 11:13-16), these that dwell upon the earth are trusting in man and their environment.
Like much New Testament terminology, “earth dwellers” is also found in the Old Testament, occurring almost 50 times. And every use of “earth dwellers” in the Old Testament appears in a context of judgment, just as it does in the book of Revelation.
I do not know whether or not the times ahead of us are the beginning of the end. But I do know this: we are at a time in history when everyone who says his home, citizenship, and focus is heavenward is about to be tested. As we see the world’s economy falter, it is now— more than ever—a time to “set your mind (and affections) on things above, not on things on the earth” (Colossians 3:2).
“In the spring when kings go to war, David remained in Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). Since the Bible doesn't tell us why David chose to stay home instead of leading his men in battle, it leave us some room to wonder. Was he exhausted from years of warfare? Did he need R&R (rest and recuperation)? But whatever the reason, consider this: David had been saved from death on the battlefields only to lose miserably on the home front. And if David, a man who loved God with all his heart, could end up doing something he would regret for the rest of his life (remember Bathsheba?)…well, we’d better pay attention.
I think it shows how vulnerable we are when we’re tired (especially, after we've been doing warfare). Weariness can predispose us to a fall. Alcoholics Anonymous has an acronym they use to help people remember these vulnerabilities—it is "HALT" : Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. When you are anyone of these things, you are open to temptation. I doubt if David was hungry, but was he angry? Was he tired? And was he paying attention to his heart?
No wonder David’s son Solomon warned: “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Prov. 4:23 NLT) The idea is summed up by Paul: “we must pay much closer attention…so that we do not drift away...” (Heb. 2:1)
A perfect storm is an expression to describe weather conditions that happen to hit at a region’s most vulnerable area, resulting in the worst possible damage. The term is also used (metaphorically) to describe an event where a rare combination of circumstances will aggravate a situation drastically.
I read a letter in the Mercury’s Editorials this morning describing current conditions in America this way: “We are facing a perfect storm of an aging population affecting both Social Security and Medicare, unpaid war expenditures, declining oil supplies, and increased tax burden for the middle class and wealthy.” And I can immediately think of many more present conditions that could be added to that mix.
Today David Wilkerson wrote: “Beloved, if we’re going to face the coming storm, then we need to be prepared so nothing disturbs our spirit. And the only way to do that is to spend time in the Father’s presence beholding His face. We have to be shut in with Him—on our knees, practicing His presence, seeking Him—until we’re thoroughly persuaded He’s at our right hand.”
I have set the Lord always before me; because You are at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad; my flesh also will rest in hope. You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16: 8-11 abbreviated).
There’s something about country western music that is so heartrending! Like Billy Ray Cyrus’ signature song “Achy Breaky Heart," or the less familiar “You Done Tore out My Heart and Stomped That Sucker Flat.” But it is not only the country western genre that evokes the ‘you broke my heart’ topic—losing control of one’s heart is a universal theme. (Who can forget Tony Bennet’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” or Elton’s John’s “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart.”)
When the Bible refers to the heart, however, you can be sure it is not referring to sappy emotions. Used interchangeably with the word “soul,” the heart means your thoughts and feelings, desires and affections, decisions and choices. So when God asks for your heart, he's asking for everything. When he controls your heart, He controls you: your hopes, dreams, thoughts, plans and priorities: all of it. And unlike the sad singers who lost their hearts to fickle lovers, you can be sure your heart is always safe with Him.
Today my brain hurts from reading so many scholarly books and journal articles for my theology classes. Last week, I read an article about how exercising your brain keeps you young. If I keep this up, I may live forever.
I’ve always known that a seminary is a dangerous place for one's spiritual vitality. The intellectual study of the Bible can dull an otherwise devoted lover of the Living Word. I am convinced that the road to heaven is strewn with those who have fallen by the sword of intellectualism, having ended up spiritually bankrupt because they failed to “watch over their heart with all diligence” (Prov. 4:23).
To the Hebrew reader, the "heart" was considered the seat of the will and thought—but much more than just thoughts and intellect. The heart is the whole "inner-life"—our thought-life, desires, affections, values, motivations, and choices. Emphasizing this, Jesus said: “a good person produces good deeds from a good heart” (Luke 6:45). Therefore, it behooves us to make sure that studying and reflecting on the Word of God has not become just a mental work-out, but a heartfelt discipline of love.
Are your mortgage, a maxed-out credit card, and a multi-year car loan driving you to the edge of madness? Are you tempted to leave it all behind and move to a place where you can actually live on your salary, find a house you can afford, and pay off your debt?
During a time of stress in Canaan (a famine), Abraham packed up his family and moved to Egypt. It is not an unusual strategy for people in crisis. These “Egypt’s” attract us with their appearance of prosperity and comfort—hope for a better life, i.e., “greener grass.” But our solution won’t be found in a different state, but a different state of mind.
Given the option, would you rather sell all your possessions and move to Costa Rica, or would you like to wake up tomorrow morning with the exact same demands and pressures but with confidence that God is going to use them to make your life more useful to Him; to put you in the path of people who need your touch; and to give you new insight for the next big challenge you'll face!?
The solution is a single-minded purpose to love and serve Him through every circumstance in your life. “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him” (2 Chronicles 16:9), or translated into modern jargon: When God holds your heart, He handles your headaches.
Tomorrow is the birthday of my younger brother Jeff. He would be 55 this year. But he died—suddenly and unexpectedly—at the age of 38, of a hidden heart condition. Had he known, he would have received treatment; perhaps he would be alive today. We’ll never know…
This week I learned that a younger sister in the Lord has had a moral failure. I was shocked of course. But I was able to put it in perspective by remembering that my sister has a heart condition—a spiritual one; and it went untreated. I had been her counselor off and on—her spiritual ‘doctor,’ you might say. Had I known she had this heart condition, perhaps I could have prescribed a daily dose of truth to be applied to her vulnerability. But it was not to be; her heart condition remained hidden—all the while eroding her good health by shutting off the flow of Jesus’ life through her spiritual veins.
Several years ago, my older brother Ken had a massive heart attack—again, a hidden heart condition. My response? I immediately scheduled an appointment for a thorough examination by a cardiologist, to make certain I had no hidden heart condition.
So when our sister or brother has one of these spiritual ‘heart attacks,’ does it not motivate each of us to take inventory of our own hearts, that God might show us our own deep-seated vulnerabilities? And if we should find a weakness, to begin working on a treatment plan? “Test me, O Lord, and try me, examine my heart; [for I know] You desire truth in my innermost being” (Psalm 56:2: 51:6).
Wheaties? Not necessarily. However, studies do show that children who eat breakfast do better in school. And commons sense indicates the same for adults. The human body is a machine that needs fuel to start the day. And substituting a cup of coffee and a pastry for a protein-rich breakfast isn’t likely to keep you from that mid-morning slump.
Just as we need to fuel our bodies—which are temporal, we need to fuel our spirit and souls—which are eternal. Job said, "I have esteemed the Words of His mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12). Why do we think we can begin the day without feeding our spirit and soul? "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4).
In the morning (12:8), God spoke to Ezekiel, saying: Son of man, eat what I am giving you—eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. Eat it all, he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey. Then he added, Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first (Ez. 3:1-3, 10). You cannot expect to champion God’s Word today if you don’t eat it first and let it go deep into your heart.
Paul's reference to being rooted in Christ (Col. 2:7) is drawn from the metaphor of a tree (common throughout Scripture) but with apparent emphasis on roots and soil.
In the parable of the sower and the seed, Jesus spoke of four types of soil. Each soil received the same seed but not all bore fruit. Jesus explains that the soil is like your heart, and the seed is the word of God. (Mark 4:33-34) The expectation of the sower is that the seed will go deep into the soil and bear fruit. Though the same seed is sown, only one type of soil permits the seed to bear fruit. Hard soil, like a hard heart, cannot receive the seed. Shallow soil, like a half-hearted person, does not allow the seed to go deep enough to germinate and bear fruit. Soil that has not been cleared of weeds and rocks, like a heart otherwise occupied, cannot nurture the seed and bear fruit. Only seed that is sown into good soil bears much fruit.
What is the significance of fruit bearing? First, Jesus said our Father is glorified when we bear much fruit (John 15:8). Second, we were planted in Christ Jesus to bear fruit. Paul uses 'good works' synonymously with fruit. (Rom. 6:4; Eph. 2:10). In Colossians 2:7, Paul is telling us that if we sink our roots deep into Christ, we will not be able to stop the fruit from coming. The good works will come like fruit falling off a tree.
