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Devotional - Matters Of The Heart
Posted : 8 Jul, 2009 04:11 PM
Some things in life, we don't even question. When hunger strikes, we find something to eat. When fatigue comes calling, we respond by seeking out rest. When dirty laundry has piled up, we know it's time to wash. In all of these instances, we don't really think about what needs to be done; we just do it. So why is it that when we're faced with an opportunity to disobey, we often toss the idea around before acting upon it?
One of the most important works the Holy Spirit did in the Son of God was to enable Him to give Himself as a sacrifice. This is key, as it shows us that even in the life of Jesus, obedience is an issue of the heart, not an issue of the will. A heart completely surrendered to God will struggle to some degree with obedience; we all do. But a heart that is not surrendered to God has no foundation from which it can establish obedience. Put another way, fickle hearts produce misdirected people. Contrary to public opinion, obedience has absolutely nothing to do with emotion or intellect. Obedience is the surest sign that Jesus is Lord of your life because it proves you love Him and that He�s been given His rightful place on the throne of your heart.
A heart inclined toward God opens the way for Him to have ears inclined toward us. A heart in sync with God�s heart results in prayers in sync with His plan. Several scriptures speak to this need to make sure our hearts stay right before God (see Proverbs 4:23; Jeremiah 17:9; Jeremiah 29:13; Matthew 12:34, etc.). But there is one particular passage of scripture I'd really like for you to consider:
"And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command." - Ezekiel 36:26-27
In these verses from Ezekiel, we learn that man will not only receive a new spirit but a new heart! This new heart consists of a renewable mind (Romans 12:2), new fruit (Galatians 5:22), a new will that desires to do God�s pleasure (Philippians 2:13) and a clean conscience (Hebrews 9:14, 10:22, 13:18).
God desires to use you, but He can only use you to the degree that you walk in obedience. And spiritual maturity is realized only in obedience to scripture. Once you see yourself as dead to sin, walking in ongoing obedience is no longer an issue of will power. This is an issue of wholehearted commitment to self-sacrifice and unbroken fellowship with our God.
The people who are most aware of God's presence in their lives are the ones who love Jesus with a passion and who have abandoned all disobedience to Him. When you consider the wisdom behind a creation so thoroughly lost that only those who know their lostness are eligible to be found, obedience seems like a piece of cake.
"God will never reveal more truth about Himself till you obey what you know already." - Oswald Chambers
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