with devotion: HEART

Showing posts with label HEART. Show all posts

evil hearts

Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” [Matthew 12:24 ESV]

The Pharisees have accused Jesus of being in league with Satan.
Jesus responds the way that John the Baptist did and calls them a brood of vipers.
He says that their words are representative of people who have evil hearts.

Many people bristle at the idea that some have evil hearts.
These think that all people are basically good.
It reminds me of our need for spiritual rebirth and inner transformation.

Here is the promise from the prophet Ezekiel:

I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you.
And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

The truth is that we all need a new heart that is neither evil or desperately wicked.
The promise is that God will give us that new heart when we respond to him.
And our mouths will speak good things from that new heart.

Thank you Lord for your transforming power. Thank you for my new heart.

... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.

when I see with my heart

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. [Matthew 5:8 NIV]

I think that this verse can be a very intimidating one because we are all very aware of the lack of purity in our thoughts and motives. Even so, I think that Jesus is speaking to us of the wonder of the new creation that Paul teaches in his writings. Consider what Jesus said to Nicodemus in John's gospel:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."

Again Jesus speaks of seeing. Seeing God. Seeing His kingdom. Perhaps it was because of their unregenerate and impure hearts that the religious leaders of Jesus' day could not see God standing before them. Could not see the works of God's kingdom done before their eyes?

This speaks to my need to live from this pure heart that was born in me so many years ago. It instructs me to see not with my head but with my heart. It challenges me to move beyond the natural and physical aspects of life and press into the invisible and eternal life of God.

This all helps me to know that when I see with my heart I will see God and His kingdom.

Lord, help me to live from, and see with, my heart.

... this devotion is part of the Red Letters series. Click here to read more.

the kingdom of the heart

The seventh Angel trumpeted. A crescendo of voices in Heaven sang out, The kingdom of the world is now the Kingdom of our God and his Messiah! He will rule forever and ever! [Revelation 11:15 MSG]

This verse speaks to me of two kingdoms at odds with each other. One is ruled by earthly flesh and one by heavenly spirit. My heart groans for the day when this worldly kingdom is engulfed by the divine kingdom. I join my voice with those in heaven as I patiently wait for that day.

Until that day I believe that we can, day by day, usher in the reign of God. One heart at a time. One action at a time. One prayer at a time. In reality, for those who have been born from above, the divine kingdom has already come. These have hearts that are a part of the heavenly kingdom.

Help us Lord to, with our hearts, live out your kingdom.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the prophetic heart

The seven thunders told me, “Again you must speak what God has revealed in front of many people, nations, languages, and kings.” [Revelation 10:11 NOG]

Spiritually speaking, I grew up in an atmosphere of charismatic prophetic revelation. Many people, including myself, spoke prophetic words at church. In retrospect it was a surreal experience. I have mixed feelings about those days. The words that I spoke were sometimes divinely inspired.

These days I think that prophecy is probably best expressed in the context everyday life. The verse indicates that we should "speak what God has revealed" to us. I love that! God has revealed many things to us. In our conversations with friends we can share those revelations with them.

In reality, prophecy is not something that is revealed to our brain but to our new heart. Our new, born again, heart is prophetic. When we speak from the new heart we are communicating prophetically. So the issue for us becomes disciplining ourselves to speak from our prophetic heart.

Help me Lord to nourish and exercise my heart that it will become strong.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

my new heart gave me a new perspective

The people who survived these plagues still did not turn to me ... [Revelation 9:20 GW]

Trials, troubles and suffering are an odd phenomenon. For some they cause a turning to God. For others they have the opposite effect. I can relate to both. Here is a bit of my story.

I was 22 and newly married when my young wife went blind. She was blind for over three years. Though I was raised in the church, I really do not ever remember turning to God in prayer. Instead I turned to booze. It helped to numb the pain and the disappointment of Ellen's blindness.

Three years later God came into Ellen's life and healed one of her eyes. Our lives began to dramatically change with the return of her eyesight. My life changed the following year as I submitted my life to Jesus. As I turned to God I began to get a new perspective on past pains.

Fast forward fourteen years. Ellen had heart and kidney failure that took her life four years later. During that time, and in the years since, I have found it so helpful to turn to God. To release my pain to him. To cast my cares towards him in prayer. My new heart gave me a new perspective.

Open the eyes of our hearts Lord that we might turn to you when things go wrong.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the praise filled heart

Responding out of a heart filled with praise, they congregate before the throne of God and constantly worship Him day and night in His temple. The One seated on the throne will always live among them. ... He will lead them to the water of life. [Revelation 7:15,17 VOICE]

I love this beautiful image of heaven. It speaks to me of eternal life and a heart that knows God. Such a heart senses the presence of God. The praise filled heart is watered by life giving springs.

Jesus said that believers will have this experience. Springs of life will flow from the deepest parts of their heart. In reality, the giving of praise opens our heart to God's refreshing springs.

I can so relate. I know that praise can break the chains that bind me. When life is heavy I want to respond with praise. Join with me. With heaven. And sing a song of praise to our God.

You are worthy Lord. You are worthy. I praise You. I praise You. Be glorified in me.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the heavenly heart

You have made them a kingdom; You have appointed them priests to serve our God, and they will rule upon the earth. [Revelation 5:10 VOICE]

Do you regularly pray that part of the Lord's prayer that asks for God's kingdom to come on earth as it is in heaven? I try to pray it every day asking for a heavenly reality where war, hate, pain and sickness are no more. I think that the verse above clues us in a bit to how this kingdom works.

As I pray, I am often focused on the miraculous and ignore the normal way that the heavenly kingdom works. I forget that the kingdom works through priests like you and me. That love rules on earth when our hearts drive our actions. In reality the heavenly kingdom comes at a heart level.

I want to live from a heavenly heart. One that, as Jesus put it, is born from above. One that is fed with heavenly thoughts. Strengthened by heavenly exercise and discipline. I desire to have a heart that causes heaven to come to earth. One that causes me to love like Jesus.

Lord, please teach me new ways to feed and exercise my heart that it may grow strong.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the wealthy heart

You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. [Revelation 3:17 NIV]

Lately a song has been going through my mind. The refrain goes like this: "The best things in life are free". The sentiment is true but it is a difficult concept for some to grasp. Many work hard to achieve the 'American Dream' and they do not really understand what they are striving for.

In a very real sense, wealth cannot make one happy. It makes us poor if it gives us a sense of not needing others. Wretched wealth is pitiful when it causes us to sacrifice our values. Or when it blinds us to the suffering of others and clothes us with pride while leaving us spiritually naked.

In contrast there is a wealth that is not wretched, pitiful, poor, blind or naked. The wealthy heart causes one to live generously. To see those in need and respond. To be fully clothed in compassion. Such is the good heart that God gives to those who admit that they are poor without Him.

I am poor Lord. Fill my heart with the wealth of kindness, mercy and compassion.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

our spiritual birth certificate

All who are victorious will be clothed in white. I will never erase their names from the Book of Life, but I will announce before my Father and his angels that they are mine. [Revelation 3:5 NLT]

This verse is reminiscent of this passage that John wrote in his gospel:

For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life. I will raise them up at the last day.

Everything changes when we first believe. A life and process of transformation begins to take hold of us. Our eyes are opened to a life and kingdom that we previously did not know existed.

Many have wondered if it is possible to "lose your salvation". I would answer yes if it was ours to lose. Yet the salvation that we possess, and the eternal book that includes our name, belongs to God and not to us. In truth our names where written in the Book of Life when we were born from above.

In that sense the recording of our name in that book is analogous to the creation of a spiritual birth certificate. We can no more be unborn spiritually as we can be physically. We who have been spiritually born have a birth certificate recorded in heaven. Praise the Lord.

Teach us to be victorious Lord. Help us to remember that we have a heavenly birth certificate.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the repentant heart

Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly. Repent and turn to me again. If you don’t wake up, I will come to you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief. [Revelation 3:3 NLT]

We do not have tomorrow. We only have today. Life can unexpectedly be snatched from us. It is why our hearts must repent each day to keep our relationship with God new and fresh.

Sometimes it takes a great error in judgment to reveal the hardness in our heart. Our heart must break over our actions before we can repent. The price of humility is brokenness.

Yet following Jesus is not about being perfect. Not about being sinless. It is about being quick to repent when we stray. About returning to the divine path when we wander from it.

We can make a big deal of repentance. Or we can develop a heart that yearns to repent every day. To daily be forgiven. Doing that develops a soft, teachable, moldable and humble heart.

Please forgive me Lord. Help me to forgive others. Renew my heart today.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the persistent heart

I also have a message for the rest of you in Thyatira ... I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to what you have until I come. [Revelation 2:24-25 NLT]

There are things in life that we must let go of. Hate. Turmoil. Despair. These are the things that wage war against us and often disable us. These have the power to make us different people.

In contrast there are things that we must never let go of. In times of hate we must hold tightly to God's love. His peace when turmoil rages all around us. Divine joy in days of deep despair.

In reality hate, turmoil and despair are present only in the mind. Heavenly qualities like love, peace and joy are experienced in the heart. Our challenge is to allow our new heart to persist.

Dear Lord. Help us to lean into our hearts that we might persist in love, peace and joy.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

heart blindness

I am the One Who looks deep into the hearts and minds. [Revelation 2:23 NLV]

In a world where models walk runways and hunks are worshiped on football fields, it is hard to imagine a world where people are known for the content of their hearts and minds. It reminds me of Samuel's dialog with God when he was looking to anoint the next Israeli king ...

“Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Like the prophet, most of us have a hard time seeing past appearances. In recent days troubling images of racism, tribalism and bigotry have surfaced in our country evidencing the manner in which some see people who are outwardly different. These suffer from a blindness of the heart.

In contrast God perceives things as they actually are because he sees us as we really are. His vision is not clouded by external skin color or tribal ancestry. Nor is it obscured by religious dogma or ideology. His vision challenges us to look past fleshly externals and see with our heart.

Teach me to see as you see Lord.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the growing heart

I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things. [Revelation 2:19 NLT]

Spiritual growth is recurrent theme in religious circles these days. Often accompanied by sermons on knowing the bible and developing spiritual disciples. There are even folks who specialize in spiritual formation. Yet the focus is so often on matters of the head and not the heart.

I love the way 'constant improvement' is related to love, faith, service, and patient endurance. These are all fruit of the spirit. Or put another way, evidences of a growing heart. In reality the newly born heart is like a newborn baby. It is not meant to stay the same but to grow into maturity.

Like the babe the new heart needs food to grow and exercise to become strong. I imagine spiritual food to be the receiving of love and spiritual exercise to be the giving of love. Each aspect is very necessary for the heart to grow. In that sense there is nothing more important than love.

Help us Lord to be open to the giving and receiving of love.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the loyal heart

Write this letter to the angel of the church in Pergamum ... I know that you live in the city where Satan has his throne, yet you have remained loyal to me. You refused to deny me even when Antipas, my faithful witness, was martyred among you there in Satan’s city. [Revelation 2:13 NLT]

Pergamum was a center of emperor worship reminiscent of Babylon when Nebuchadnezzar demanded that his subjects bow to his statue. Back then there were a few young men who refused to bow. These survived a fiery furnace and gave us an example of hearts loyal to God.

Though not as drastic as a fiery furnace, we each face times that challenge our loyalty to the Lord. Scary times. Moments when everything around us compels us to lose faith and to fear. In such times of challenge we are given opportunities to trust in the Lord with all of our heart.

The operative words are heart and trust. The loyal heart is one that trusts God when everything is falling apart. The one that understands that God is near in times of trouble. Our challenge in hard times is to not trust our own understanding but lean into our beautiful and loyal heart.

Teach me Lord to trust you when the heat is turned up.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the tested heart

Don’t be afraid of what you are going to suffer. The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. Your suffering will go on for ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. [Revelation 2:10 GW]

Knowing God transcends every part of life. In a very real sense it is impossible to unknow your Heavenly Father. Or for Him to unknow you. This sentiment is evident when Jesus declares that there are people who he simply does not know. How we react in suffering reflects whether we know God.

The ten days mentioned in this verse are symbolic of extended suffering. Interesting that it says that suffering does not always happen to test us. Testing comes in many forms. Yet the message is clear that extended suffering will test our faith, and just about everything else, like nothing else will.

How we face death is the ultimate test of what is in our heart. Those who know, and are known by, God face death very differently. These understand that a crowning life awaits us on the other side of the grave. They know this because they have hearts that have been tested. Hearts that know the Lord.

Grant us courage dear Lord that we might not be afraid of suffering - or anything else.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the wealthy heart

Write this to Smyrna ... I can see your pain and poverty—constant pain, dire poverty—but I also see your wealth. [Revelation 2:8,9 MSG]

The phenomenon of poverty is an ancient and complex one. Their are all sorts of explanations for it's existence. Some point to wealthy people saying that their greed has caused others to be poor. Others point to laziness as the source. And there can be societal issues at the root of it.

Interesting that this verse speaks to an inner wealth in the midst of external poverty. Most of us focus on the eternal as it is easier to comprehend. Yet their is an inner poverty of the heart often present in both wealthy and poor people. It often surfaces in things like envy and discontentment.

In contrast I have found that there is a wealth of spirit than surfaces in generosity, compassion and kindness. Folks who have a wealthy transformed heart tend to act differently that those who are internally poor. Perhaps these qualities are the kind of wealth that this verse speaks of?

Help us Lord to live from the new and wealthy heart that you have given us.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation

the listening heart

I, John, am your brother. ... I was on the island of Patmos ... On the Lord’s day I was in the Spirit, and I heard a loud voice behind me that sounded like a trumpet. [Revelation 1:9-10 NCV]

What do you think John means when he says "I was in the Spirit"? Many commentators interpret it to mean an ecstatic spiritual state of being. Like being in a trance. In my thinking John was caught up in worship and prayer. A place where he was able to hear God's voice in his heart.

Have you ever had God speak to your heart? Ever hear something that absolutely rocked you at the deepest levels. A word or phrase that was undeniably the voice of God. I have. Several times. Such words have brought clarity to me. Often causing me to weep with joy and amazement.

It is hard to be open to such voices because they are not discerned with our heads but with our hearts. People, even religious ones, have been trained to distrust the voices of their hearts. In contrast, the scriptures teach us that God does speak and we can hear him if listen with our heart.

Help me to quiet my mind Lord, that I might have a listening heart.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Revelation.

honor of the heart, head and hands

Continue to pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a clear conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in every way. [Hebrews 13:18 MOUNCE]

When my son was young we used to watch Star Trek TNG. One of the characters on the show was a Klingon named Worf. The driving force in his life was honor. The character once said: "A Klingon's honor means more to him than his life." That sentence is so spiritual nature.

Yet I do think that the word (honor) might be a bit misunderstood. For some the appearance of honor is all that matters. The focus is to be perceived as honorable by other people. Yet, in a spiritual sense honor is mostly about the consistency between our inner and outer lives.

When the writer speaks of having a clear conscience he is connecting honor to the heart. In reality honor is an issue of the heart. When we say our conscience is clear we are indicating that our heart, our head and our hands are in full accord. To be honorable is to live this way.

We pray Lord for our friends, and ourselves, that we all might live honorably in every way.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.

the city of the heart

Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. [Hebrews 13:14 NCV]

The contrast between the two cities mentioned in this verse is stark. Eternal vs temporal. Invisible vs visible. Inner vs outer. In reality, we who believe are residents of both cities. We walk the sidewalks of this world while living in a city that is so much different that what we see and hear.

The outer city demands our attention by captivating our senses with sights, sounds and aromas of this world. Yet all the while the inner city beckons us to sense an unseen reality. A dimension that is filled with love in the midst of hate. Peace in a time of war. Joy in times of great despair.

Yet this inner city is a place that we must seek out. It does not come to us. We come to it. Like the saints of old we must, by faith, seek this city out. Give priority to this inner city of the heart. Daily we must sense the activities of this city. Then we must live according to the laws of this city.

Lord, please open our inner eyes and ears that we might see the eternal city.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.

the strengthened heart

Do not let all kinds of strange teachings lead you into the wrong way. Your hearts should be strengthened by God’s grace, not by obeying rules about foods, which do not help those who obey them. [Hebrews 13:9 NCV]

I have always been somewhat of a rule follower. Obeying the rules always strengthened my ego but never really did anything for my heart. I found that following the rules produced in me a judgmental attitude towards those who did not follow the rules. And that was a problem.

In contrast, embracing God's grace strengthened my heart and gave me the ability to offer grace to others. People of grace understand that they are divinely loved unconditionally and desire to love in the same way. And as they love unconditionally their hearts are strengthened.

Thank you Lord for the grace you give to me and the grace you offer through me.

... this devotion is part of a series from the book of Hebrews.

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