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Mar 05, 2022 08:00am

Concerns of the Heart

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Ezekiel 36:26 says, “I’ll give you a new heart; put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed.”

The strangest things matter to us. One of mine (true confession) is kept tucked away in my nightstand. It only weighs a few ounces, but it kept my Dad’s most important muscle from misbehaving . . . his pacemaker. Dad actually outlived his first one, so at age 90, he received an improved model to better suit his endless energy of service.

I tend to agree with most folks that referred to him as a human battery charger. His gift of encouragement kept many human hearts beating and headed in the right direction. Somehow, possessing this tiny medical device reminds me that any heart not lived for Jesus is a waste.

God’s plan allowed his own son’s heart to stop for you and me. In God’s eyes and through his sovereign plan, His children are given much more than the newest medical device. We are given His lineage. God doesn’t need a stethoscope to know when your heart started beating and when it will cease. What would your cardiac exam expose . . . greed, lust, gratitude, envy, thankfulness?

Lacking purity of thought might suggest that a recalibration procedure is needed. Are you up for it? God is always available for a spiritual transplant. The risk is worth it and the results will bring him glory!

The Bible makes it clear that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit become our heartbeat. In turn, we become the vessel that carries His heartbeat to others. Does yours resemble duty, delight, or devotion? It’s obvious to more than the cardiologist: Your actions, attitudes, speech, private thoughts, hobbies, and work practices are huge indicators of your heart condition.

Spiritual intimacy exposes the balance of our personal teeter- totters. Joanna Weaver states in Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, “The fulcrum is the pivot point of the teeter-totter that balances duty with devotion. Without the balance of worship and service we end up with two wooden planks acting in isolation.”

A balanced life of loving the Lord and serving others is a healthy heart assessment that’s a divine rhythm testifying of a life lived well and close to the heartbeat of Christ. So consider that “heart transplant.” Ask God to give you a heart fully devoted to Him.