CLEAN HEARTS - Part 1

The focus of today's nugget is something we often refer to as a "heart check."  The heart check is a pause and ponder moment, taken for the cause of ensuring that the core of who we are is still enjoying the new life we have in Christ Jesus.  It reminds us to be practical, not just theoretical, with our hearts.  This is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL.  Here is why:

1. The heart holds our fresh supply of soul-water, keeping us hydrated in a world that often wants to dry us out.  See Proverbs 4:23.
2. The heart overflows into the mouth, which has the ability to create what it speaks.  See Luke 6:45 and Proverbs 18:21.
3. The heart is inextricably linked to everything we value and hold dear.  See Matthew 6:21.
4. And for a host of other, seriously important reasons. Click here for a resource on "heart" verses. 

With our hearts being our own little Pandora's Box of interests and meditations, we can see why the Lord encourages us to prioritize its protection.  But, this doesn't mean that our hearts are inherently bad.  "WAIT!" some may say, "Isn't the heart a "lying sack of sin," according to the Bible?  Just read Jeremiah 17:9!"  Well, that is the crux of today's nugget.  That view is commonly articulated in the Church.  But, not only is there a misunderstanding due to translation; the concept itself is incompatible with the new life we have in Jesus.  In order to rightly view the famous verse in Jeremiah, about the deceitful, wicked nature of the heart, we must understand both the context and the text.

1. CONTEXT: God was contrasting those whose hearts belonged to Him with those whose hearts were estranged from Him. This wasn't a sweeping, negative declaration about the generally depraved hearts of all people.  One may argue, if you feel it absolutely necessary, in favor of the generally depraved human heart, but this is not the verse to use to make that argument.
2. TEXT:  The words chosen here by Jeremiah have much softer Hebrew meanings than our English translations suggest.  Without going too in-depth here: the root for "deceitful" actually means "slippery and tricky uphill terrain, that is difficult to read and navigate."  "Desperately wicked" in the original is "frail, feeble and incapable of self-healing."  In other words, our hearts are challenging to navigate, because they are slippery inclines, with hidden, rocky places, and divots that can trip us up.  They are frail and in desperate need of God's guiding, healing, and sustaining touch.   

As you can see, deception and wicked desperation, as we perceive them in our contemporary view, are not the focus of this verse.  Rather, the words remind us that we need Papa's help and revelation if we are to both: a) steward our own hearts, and, b) understand what's happening in the hearts of those around us.   The real claim of these verses is that hearts are complex and cavernous creatures - in need of divine maintenance, healing, and guidance.  David said it well, "Create in me a clean heart."  God replies with, "I will do you one better!  How about instead of just a little washing, we replace that heart altogether?  If you agree, I will even throw in a new spirit as a bonus!" (see Ezekiel 36:26) Of course, in the new birth, this is accomplished. Oh, what a glorious gift!  Far too many born-again believers think that their hearts are prone to and filled with deceptions and sins.  Not according to God.  He has replaced our frail, slippery, uphill-climbing pumper, with a whole new heart, made for and like His.

Friends, be encouraged today.  Your heart is CRUCIAL TERRITORY, no doubt. And it needs maintenance, healing, and guidance.  But, the Father has provided everything you need to ensure its powerful purity.  He has "created in you a clean heart."  Give yourself a heart check.  Believe that He has blessed you with a tendency toward His goodness, love and joy.  Then flourish in the peace that having a clean heart brings.

Forever panning for gold,

Chris Liotta

Lead Pastor
Rivergate Church
Chris@WeAreRivergate.com



© 2016 Chris Liotta