The root of every action, thought, word, and attitude is in the heart. The things that frustrate, annoy, & upset me- reveal where my heart is. My worries, fears, & anxieties- reveal my heart. What brings me joy, how I spend my time, how I view God, how I view other people, how I view myself- reveals my heart. This is no ground-breaking revelation, nor am I trying to "spiritualize everything". But it is reality, and I think a lot of times we fail to go as deep as our hearts. We try to clean up our behavior, which is only a symptom of our true problem. We define and judge people based on their outward actions, which is very inconsistent with what Jesus did. This is demonstrated in the standard that Jesus brought in the New Testament (Matthew 5:28, Matthew 15:18-19). While, yes, He saw their sinful actions- He loved and saw the sinful heart beneath it in need of His cleansing. And He loves us enough to desire the removal of sin from our hearts and lives; not a false love by ignoring it or overlooking it...as sometimes we wish He would (when we're loving our sin more than Him). Instead of us trying to change ourselves by "not doing this" anymore or to "start doing that more", we ought to recognize that change only occurs when we are transformed by His Holy Spirit. It is possible to take on a form of godliness (proper actions, proper activities, proper words, proper abstentions, etc...) and deny it's power by not allowing Him to totally transform us from the INSIDE out. Why do we so often resist that? Because we are not willing to give Him full control. There is something that we are not letting go of; something we do not think we can trust Him with. Instead of rationalizing my sin and coming up with reasons that justify it, I need to call it what it is- SIN, which is committed in the heart, manifested in our behavior, and an offense to the Most High God. It is me-in my heart of hearts- desiring something more than I desire God and His will. God is calling us repentance, which IS true change! God wants our hearts first & fully. I love that this is a message of hope, not failure. That when we look on our hearts and we DO see sin, we do not need to be discouraged, for He has made a way. Go to Him right now! Where is your heart?
Once he loses his heart for "self" the believer can be wholly God's.
-Watchman Nee
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