Heart Things

“The heart is hopelessly dark and deceitful, a puzzle that no one can figure out. But I, God , search the heart and examine the mind. I get to the heart of the human. I get to the root of things. I treat them as they really are, not as they pretend to be.”Jeremiah 17:9‭-‬10 MSG

God's verdict about the human condition is worth a second and third consideration. It does not matter what I tell myself or how much I convince myself that I am at my best. The measured and eternal words of the creator of the heart is fundamental. When you consider what's going on in the world, and man's never ending propensity towards evil, you are convinced that God indeed knows what he's talking about.

Consider contemporary events: man has found ways to destroy his environment and his fellow man; we have polluted land, sea and air, all in a bid to make extra money. We have put self love before any other consideration, and then wonder why the world around us is falling to pieces. We say one thing, while our actual intentions are the very opposite. Our life profession does not in any way match our mouth confession. That's today's man.

However, God is not moved by such surface considerations. He's not deceived by outward piety without a corresponding inner peace brought only by a knowledge of God. With God, what is key is knowing that you cannot deceive him, no matter what others tell you. God searches and examines the heart, and when he searches, be sure that he knows what he's doing. He gets to the root of the matter, which is sin. He's able to deal with its power and consequences, and his way of dealing with sin showed just how important he considers our eternal destination. Natural man, no matter how nice, cannot make it on his own. All natural men must be regenerated, born anew and into the Life made available by God. The earthly can never understand the spiritual, and the earthly can never inherit the spiritual.

Let's stop the pretence that all is well, and go to the only One able to make the required inner change that will secure eternity. Don't bother with impressing others; God's judgement will be universal and total, and all men will one day bow to the One whose life was given so I could willingly live as God pleases. The other side of this offer is not worth considering. His time of favour is here.