I have observed that religious people constantly attempt to keep me from living from the place of my heart. Perhaps their favorite scripture comes from the words of the prophet Jeremiah. "The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?" (Jeremiah 17:9) Like we are often prone to do, this verse is lifted out of the context of the whole of scripture.
The same people that quote Jeremiah 17:9 forget about Ezekiel's words. "I will take away their hearts of stone and give them tender hearts instead..." (Ezekiel 11:19). These two scriptures are not contradictory, rather, they are a reflection of the process we undergo as followers of Jesus.
Without a doubt, the heart is wicked and self-centered UNTIL a miraculous transformation occurs. Jesus alluded to this when he talked with Nicodemus (recorded in John 3). He used terms like "born from above" and "born again". Jesus' words reiterated what Ezekiel prophesied centuries earlier. While we were born with a wicked bent, the desire of God is to rid us of that wicked heart and replace it with a new heart, a GOOD heart.
I have discovered that as I pursue God in the place of my heart, my heart has not been wrong or evil. Great wisdom comes from my new heart because I am now the dwelling place of God.
If your heart has been transformed, YOU CAN TRUST IT! It is the dwelling place of God. Pursue the desires of your heart!
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2 comments:
Glenn, You are so right. The hardest part for me is: to get past the learned religious teachings and trust God in me! I'm always second guessing, (My heart can't be good or right!) God help me to trust you in me, And thank you for my NEW, GOOD heart!
Religion promotes a "holy man" (someone to be my priest, to go to God for me) and a "holy building" (a sacred space that is more holy than the rest of creation).
Hebrews tells us that the way of Jesus is better than these forms of worship. Jesus is better than the Old Testament model, yet we continually attempt to duplicate the Old Testament way of relating to God.
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