Author Archives: Kenny
Inside Out
The heart produces what the heart receives.
The heart is one of the world’s most powerful images. The heart has inspired great poetry (Search thine own heart), philosophy (The heart has it’s reasons, which reason does not know), catchy song titles (”The Heart Will Go On”), and profound Scripture (Blessed are the pure in heart). God promises to give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4), as long as your desires are in line with His.
But wait. There’s a catch. You don’t have a pure heart, and neither do I. As much as I have put the heart on a pedastal, it can be a nasty character. The prophet Jeremiah wrote, “The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9). That’s why God asks us to believe in our hearts and invite Him in. He wants to change us from the inside out.
“I, the Lord, search all hearts, and examine secret motives.” Jeremiah 17:10
Pure Heart
Follow the promptings of your heart rather than the desires of your flesh.
The King James Version of the Bible (you know, the one with all the thees and thous) uses the word flesh to describe our sinful natures. The Bible says, “Those who are still under the control of their sinful nature [or flesh] can never please God” (Romans 8:8). The Bible uses the word heart to describe the center of our character and will. It doesn’t say, “Love the Lord your God with all your flesh,” but rather “Love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deut. 6:5).
When we realize and act upon the fact that Jesus has freed us from a “life that is dominated by sin” (Romans 7:24), we are free to follow our “heart’s desires” (Psalm 37:4). When our hearts are pure, God will fill them with His desires and prompt us to do what He wants us to do, “For God is greater than our hearts” (1 John 3:20).
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalm 37:4
Stop Judging
Before you judge someone, examine your own heart.
Have you ever exaggerated the faults of others while excusing or ignoring your own? We all have. That’s why the story of the woman caught in adultery has a universal application. What we need to do is put ourselves in the place of the “teachers of the religious law” who brought the woman to Jesus. They wanted to see if Jesus would agree that she needed to be stoned for her offenses.
In what must have been a supremely dramatic moment, Jesus “stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger” (John 8:6). The teachers demanded an answer, so Jesus stood up and said, “All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!” (v. 7). Needless to say, the accusers backed off and “slipped away one by one” (v. 9).
The next time we feel compelled to judge someone, we need to remember what Jesus said.
“Let those who have never sinnned throw the first stones!” John 8:7
Seek Wisdom
If you seek wisdom over opportunity, opportunity will usually follow.
No matter where you look, there’s opportunity. It may not be knocking on your door, but all you have to do is drive around and you’ll see opportunity calling out from billboards, bus stops, and anything else big enough for a sign. Watch television and you will see more messages of opportunity. Surf the Internet and little banners will flash constantly: Get rich quick! Save money now!
Your problem isn’t opportunity. Opportunity is plentiful and cheap (and you usually get what you pay for). What you need is wisdom in order to sort through the opportunities. “Getting wisdom is the most important thing you can do!” wrote Solomon in Proverbs 4:7. Wisdom leads to good judgment, which enables you to make good decisions. And if you are able to make good decisions, you will have the ability to sort through the worthwhile opportunities that will come your way.
How wonderful to be wise, to be able to analyze and interpret things.
Ecclesiastes 8:1
