CHARLES HARRIS: Hearts must be prepared for relationship with God

The Scriptures speak about the heart, and how it is the center of our very being. The heart is where we think, where we choose, where we plan, and where we determine what we will or won’t do. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

If we are to prepare our hearts to have a relationship with God, we must do four things. First, we must put our confidence in God. Proverbs 3:5-7 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.”

Second, we must not forget the works of God. James 1:17 says, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.” Every blessing that we enjoy comes from our Father in heaven. We remember the Lord Jesus dying on the cross, suffering for the forgiveness of our sins. We remember His promises to care for us, to comfort us, to strengthen us, and to never forsake us.

Third, we must keep His commandments. Love and gratitude lead us to respect and to observe what He’s taught us. Some people think of obedience as slavery, or legalism, or a thoughtless ritual. However, Jesus obediently and lovingly endured the cross, taking the form of a servant to do so. Jesus said in Matthew 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Fourth, we must not allow ourselves to become stubborn and rebellious. Our deceitful hearts can lead us to think that we can challenge God, as if we knew more or we knew better than He does. It’s folly to think we can do better without God than with God. Proverbs 1:7 says, that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; now fools despise wisdom and instruction.” Proverbs 22:3 says, “The prudent sees the evil and (what he does is he) hides himself, But the naive they just go on, and they’re punished for it.” Don’t imagine that you can love sin, that you can rebel against God, and then go unpunished.

Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount describes three important characteristics of the blessed person that is associated with the heart. First, He said in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The idea of being “poor in spirit” means that I am destitute spiritually on my own. I know that I need the Lord; I cannot save myself by my own strength. The blessed man knows that, apart from Christ, he can do nothing.

Second, the Lord said in Matthew 5:6, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” The prepared heart knows that it must get right and stay right with God. We must have the blood of Jesus to cleanse us from sin; we don’t want to face the Lord without hope. We desperately hunger and thirst for righteousness, and we must have it to live.

Third, Jesus said in Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The pure in heart are not double-minded; they are free from guilt and sin. They’ve made the decision to “flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.” (2 Timothy 2:22) They hunger for purity and they pursue it. They will do their best to be pure in heart and mind and body. Do you have a heart that is poor in spirit, that hungers for righteousness and is pure?

We will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ one day to be judged for what we have done, good or bad. When we obey from the heart we leave an old way of life and begin a new one. Romans 6:17-18 says, “But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, you become the slaves of righteousness.”

We obey when we as penitent believers are baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38). In baptism God unites us with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, according to Romans 6:3-7 and Colossians 2:12-13. It’s the blood of Christ that washes away our sins when we’re baptized into His death. So prepare your heart now to obey the Lord.

The Beattie Road Church of Christ meets at 1731 Beattie Road in Albany. Our times of services are Sunday: 9:30 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 6 p.m. and Wednesday 7 p.m. If we can assist you in your spiritual journey contact us at (229) 435-2193 or (870) 500-5535. You can also visit us online at beattieroad.com.