It Takes Heart

1 Samuel 16:7 (NIV)
⁷ But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."


I am sure I am not alone when I say that I was moved by the performance of Canadian Olympic figure skater Joannie Rochette.  To the casual observer who happened to walk by a bank of television sets on their way to the widget department at the local department store, they would have seen a talented female figure skater.  But to those who were following the story, they would have seen something entirely different.

Just two days before this performance in the pressure cooker of Olympic competition, Joannie's mother suddenly died.  Her mother had just arrived in Vancouver to watch her daughter perform.  So what I saw in Joannie Rochette was the heart of an Olympian.  What I saw was the heart of a courageous woman.  What I saw was a heart that was broken by grief.

God is more than a casual observer of the heart.  In Biblical terms the heart is "not only the center of all spiritual activity, but of all operations of the human life." (Easton's Bible Dictionary).  It is our innermost being. It is like the computer code that makes us do and say the things we do and say.  It is the place that God desires to dwell (1 Cor 3:16) and do His redemptive work.

We admire talented athletes.  We wish we could look as handsome or beautiful as the figure skaters we have watched on TV.  We wish we could benefit financially from endorsement contracts like Olympic medal winners.

But what would our lives look like if what rules our hearts is the overwhelming desire that everything we say and do is to glorify God?  How different would our lives look than they do right now?  Would our lives move people to seek God for themselves?

How Does He Do That?

Habakkuk 3:17-19 (NIV)
¹⁷ Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, ¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. For the director of music. On my stringed instruments.

Life has a way of throwing all kinds of things at us.  Not all of it is good.  Whether we are saved or not our life is made up of blessings and trials.  It seems that our blessings and trials come in waves.  How often have we said, "This is too good to be true!"?  Probably not as often as we have said, "This is more than I can bear."

We live in a fallen world among fallen people.  Not to deny that there are people in our lives that are truly a blessing to us.  But on the whole, the world is broken and as a result we face trials.

Habakkuk lived in a world filled with sin and violence that seemed to go on unpunished.  He cries to the LORD, "How long, O LORD, must I call for help, but you do not listen?  Or cry out to you, 'Violence!' but you do not save?  Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?  Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife, and conflict abounds." (1:2-3).

God seemed distant.  When the LORD did answer, it was not what Habakkuk expected.  ""Look at the nations and watch-- and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." (1:5).  God goes on to describe the unusual means by which He will bring judgement.  However, there is no outward promise of peace and tranquility here.

So how does he do it?  How does Habakkuk praise God in the midst of the destruction that is about to take place?

The answer is in how he chooses to respond to the situation.  He does not allow the situation to control him.  He chooses to find his joy in the LORD.  His peace comes in the confidence he has in the trustworthiness of his God.  His peace comes in his fellowship with the LORD.  His spirit is lifted in his words of praise to the God who loves him.

Habakkuk 3:18-19 (NIV)
¹⁸ yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. ¹⁹ The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights.

Discern, Not Decide

Numbers 14:8-11 (NIV)
⁸ If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. ⁹ Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them." ¹⁰ But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites. ¹¹ The LORD said to Moses, "How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the miraculous signs I have performed among them?

Last Sunday Pastor Karl Dyrli preached a challenging message from Number 13 & 14 on the difference between discerning the will of God and making a decision.

. He says on his blog, "In Numbers 13 and 14 we find the dramatic events at the edge of the promised land.  God told Moses to send 12 Israelite leaders into the new territory, a land that He was going to deliver to them.  When the 12 came back, ten had reasoned arguments why they should not advance into Canaan, while two claimed they should.  This is a prime example in which the majority doesn't, or shouldn't, rule.  Ten decided what they thought should be done.  Two correctly discerned the will of the Lord.

For all of God's people, our lives, our churches, our every choice is to be one of discerning His direction, not of deciding what we think should be done."


I encourage you to check out Karl's blog on the New Testament Baptist Church web site.  There you can listen to a podcast of Karl's message.  His message is timely for our church in this transition time as we consider who God has in mind for our next pastor.


You can also see what we might be up to at New Testament Baptist Church by going to http://nt-bc.org.  This web site is being constructed by the students of New Testament Christian School in Norton, MA.

The Diagnosis and the Cure

Romans 5:12 (NIV)
¹² Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--

The Doctor comes with the diagnosis.  It's not the one we had hoped for.  We have an inherited heart condition.  Its symptoms include sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. (Galatians 5:20-21).  Sometimes the symptoms are subtle.  Other times they flair up in a big way.  Nonetheless they are there and they just don't go away.

We can hide the symptoms sometimes when we need to.  We really don't want people to know our heart condition.  If only we can keep this disease under control we'll be all right.  But as the Doctor has told us, if this disease is left untreated, it is fatal.

But wait!  The Doctor has good news too!  This disease is treatable.  In fact you can be better than new!  The disease does not have to consume you.  If you accept the Doctor's treatment and follow the Doctor's orders your life can be more productive than you could ever imagine.  Under the Doctor's care He can produce in us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23).

Romans 6:23 (NIV)
²³ For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.


Praise God!  He has provided us with the Great Physician.

A Healthy Heart - Part 2

Deuteronomy 8:1-9 (NIV)
¹ Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. ² Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. ³ He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. ⁴ Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. ⁵ Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you. ⁶ Observe the commands of the LORD your God, walking in his ways and revering him. ⁷ For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land--a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.




I am a man of a certain age.  When a person reaches a certain age, maintaining a healthy heart is physically very important.  Sometimes we don't realize we have a health problem until something happens.  Sometimes the doctor's keen interest in a series of tests alert us to the fact that we need to take care of our bodies.  Neither one of these scenarios is pleasant.  Stress tests, blood tests, and EKG's are no fun.  These pale in comparison to something like a heart attack or stroke.  So we go through the discomfort of these tests with the hope that we will be healthier as a result of the knowledge that is gained through the testing.  Our chances of maintaining a healthy body are greatly increased if we follow the doctor's instructions.  Eat right, exercise and take your medicine as prescribed.

In this week's passage the people of Israel had been tested by the LORD so that He would know their hearts' condition.  Would they keep God's commands?  The commands were not given to trip them up, but to guide them in a life that was holy and pure so that they could enjoy all that God had provided for them to the fullest.

Who likes tests?  It puts all that is hidden right out there to be seen.  In school it puts all that is or isn't in your head on to a sheet of paper.  In the doctor's office it places the unseen condition of your health in a form that can be measured and analyzed.  When God tests you it exposes the condition of your heart, your spiritual health.

It particularly struck me when I read this passage that God's purpose in the testing was to humble us (vs 3) so that He could display His provision, love, and care for us in a way that we could see it.  He allowed them to be hungry so He could feed them.  He did not let their clothes wear out or their feet to swell.  I have learned that just as this scripture points out, God provides in a way that is unpredictable and better than expected.  I think He does this so that there can be no doubt that it is His provision, not one of our own making.

We are a fallen people living in a fallen world.  Could it be that God is bringing us to the place where He can humble us so that we can see His great love for us?  So that we can accept the gift of His mercy?

Tests are intended to be beneficial.

A Healthy Heart

Luke 6:43-45 (NIV)
43 "No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. 45 The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.



It’s a new year and people at least consider things they need to do to be better people. Perhaps it’s a habit to be broken like smoking. Perhaps it’s getting better control of finances or maybe reading the Bible through in a year. Maybe it’s making an effort to be a better husband, wife, mom, dad, friend or employee.

Often the plan for the New Year involves losing weight, eating properly and getting fit. Doing these things helps build a healthy heart and a healthy heart helps build a healthy body.

As we read Scripture we see that the heart refers to the more than just the organ that pumps life-giving blood to the body. It is the inner person, the spirit of the person, the soul. If you really want to know a person, you have to understand his or her heart. You may only really have that kind of intimate knowledge of one or two or maybe three people in your lifetime. You know how they think. You know what they love. You know what will get them angry. You know why they do the things they do.

Today’s passage tells us if you listen carefully to what a person says, you will get to know their heart. (For better or worse.) The passions of their life and the fruit they produce (good or bad) come from the heart.

If we are going to make a difference in this life, we need a heart that produces good fruit.

King David in his cry of repentance sought out the Lord God who can transform a heart that produces bad fruit into a heart that produces good fruit.

Psalms 51:10-12 (NIV)

10 Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

Lasting change begins with a healthy heart.