Where is your heart?
"...I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:14-21
The focus of your heart
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21
“If riches increase, do not set your heart on them." Psalm 62:10
A heart that loves God
"...you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. " Mark 12:30
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. " Deuteronomy 6:5-7
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14
The nature of the unregenerate heart
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10
“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh [human nature and natural self] his strength,
Whose heart departs from the Lord.
For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness." Jeremiah 17:5-6
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.
For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; Who can know it?
I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10
Expressions that reflect the content of hearts and minds
"Jesus said, 'Are you also still without understanding? ...those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man...." Matthew 15:16-20
"For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:34-37
'What comes out of a man, that defiles a man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:20
The Covenant Promise of a New Heart for all believers
"...you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:13
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the Lord.
"But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My law in their minds, and
write it on their hearts; and
I will be their God, and
they shall be My people.
"No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-33
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; you shall be My people, and I will be your God. I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses...." Ezekiel 36:26-28
"You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.
"And we have such trust through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." 2 Corinthians 3:2-6
An hard heart that loves the world & its ways
"Do you not yet perceive nor understand? Is your heart still hardened? Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?" Mark 8:17-18
"Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart...." Deuteronomy 15:9
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings." Jeremiah 17:9-10
“Beware that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His commandments... lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them... and all that you have is multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God....
"...then you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gained me this wealth.’ Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods... you shall surely perish." Deuteronomy 8:11-20
What we can do
"Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Psalm 27:14
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." 2 John 14:1-2
"Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8
"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." Proverbs 4:20-23
"When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
Discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you,
To deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things,
From those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness;
Who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked." Proverbs 2:10-14
"But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish." Deuteronomy 30:14-18
“But take careful heed to do the commandment ... to love the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments, to hold fast to Him, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5
Only by His Spirit in us can we follow His way and love Him with all our hearts. But, to those who long to walk with Him in His wonderful ways, He promised daily grace to do His will.
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. " 1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
Thank You, Lord!