“Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.

For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, and who spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit,

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

I, the Lord, search the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jeremiah 17: 7-10

Many years ago I was on my way to work on a Monday morning, singing a chorus from the worship service the previous day. I was in full voice as I pulled into the parking lot.  I exited the car and continued belting out the high praises of the Lord.  I was not aware that a lady who worked in my building (a very proper British lady) had arrived also and was walking close behind me.  The verse I was singing went something like this: “I’m a tree, I’m a tree, I’m a big green tree, I’m a tree in the house of the Lord.”  She quickly caught up to me and, looking quite concerned, asked me, “Carla, did you say you are a tree?”

Some things are easier to explain than others and what I needed right then was context.  It turned out to be a wonderful opportunity to share the Lord with her.  We would bump into each other with some regularity and always shared a private smile.

This is a comforting passage of scripture.  The Lord is assuring us that as his children, we are like a tree planted by the river, and as we are, we will not be affected when heat comes, our leaf will remain green, and we shall not be anxious when the drought comes; we will continue to yield fruit in the midst of it all.  The only qualifier here is that we trust in the Lord and our hope is in Him.

He didn’t say “if ” the drought comes, but when.  We can be like a watered tree, abiding in Him, bearing fruit that will be a blessing to many.  He is the river, the fountain of life, the water in a dry, dry land.  Our responsibility is to abide and partake.  As we enter His presence, basking in Him, He pours fourth the water into our innermost being.  We can be like a tree planted by the river.  When we are, others will see it and want to have some of the refreshing, clear water of life, too.  Let us not be dry and brittle in our walk. Drink deeply and let the refreshing of His presence shine forth from us.

 

“I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shall enlarge my heart.” Psalms 119:32

What does it mean to have an enlarged heart? It clearly implies our heart can be enlarged. Enlarge means to make great; to broaden; to increase capacity.  When studying the scripture, I like to go to the root word and find the exact meaning, then find scriptures that use that same word to better understand what is being said. That search for the word “run” took me to Joel 2:7 which says, “They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war, and they shall march every one on his ways and they shall not break their ranks.”

“…..For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7  It is not possible for something contrary to what is in our hearts to come out of us. Our hearts contain what and who we really are. Satan can not read our mind.  He does not know what is in our heart until we speak or act.  The word says we are to put a guard at our mouth. Jesus said “this people draweth near unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” Matthew 15:8

Consider Solomon. In I Kings 3:5 God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Ask what I shall give thee”. Solomon replied, “Give, therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad…..”.

“….And God gave Solomon wisdom, and very much understanding and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore.” God gave Solomon so much of what he asked for that he enlarged his heart so that he could contain it.

God knows our heart. “The word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

The condition of our heart is vital.  God wants a people who have a heart that is full and running over, ready to pour forth the water and the oil . The purpose of an enlarged heart is so that we are better equipped to be His hands extended to a hurting world.

The word tells us that when Jesus saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion. The word compassion here denotes a deep feeling of empathy and sorrow for another.  We are created in the image of God. That image is not limited to what we look like; it speaks of function.  Jesus said we would do greater works than he did.  We are to be a people who, as the scripture says, “run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war, and they shall march every one on his ways and they shall not break their ranks.” I fear we have broken ranks, we have wondered off on our own and mapped out our own way, lost our vision of who we are in the earth.  We are at a serious, and yes, dangerous crossroad.  The world doesn’t listen to us any more regarding cultural issues of the day. They ignore the voices from the pulpit because we have become tepid and accommodating of their choices.  There needs to be a sound of alarm coming from the church that speaks of conviction and repentance. Our collective hearts should be grieved, broken, prostrate over the condition of the world.  We are to speak the truth in love, Agape Love, the God kind of love that flows from the fountain of living water.

May God enlarge our hearts and fill us to overflowing with His purpose and His power.

 

 

 

When we think about doing something with our whole heart, what exactly does that mean?  Our hearts are unique, magnificent organs.  They are alive with energy as they beat within us.  The Word says in Deuteronomy 6:5 “For thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t see any wiggle room here.  It is clear that God wants us to love Him totally, utterly, completely, unconditionally and without reservation.

Our hearts are vulnerable. We can give them away, break them, bruise them,  expose them, share them, or divide them. The Word says in Proverbs 4:23 that we are to keep it with all diligence: for out of it are the issues of life.  Diligence means to guard, to watch over, to protect.  Jeremiah says “……but his word was in mine heart, like a burning fire, shut up in my bones…….” (20:9).  Think for a moment. How long has it been since we held the word in our heart to this extent.  Do we place great value on it, treasure it.

So many times the Lord deals with us through our children.  Through the years I would think “if only they would do this or that” and then, quietly, softly, speaking to my innermost being, that still small voice would come to me saying, “Yes, I know exactly how you feel”.  Once they are grown, we find that the most vital thing to have with them is some quality, uninterrupted time.  Time where they are really there with us and not just in the room. When there can be some substantive conversation and you can share your heart, and they theirs, and you truly hear each other.  That, my friend, is precisely what the Lord wants with us.  The Bible says He is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart and that He notices the preparation of our hearts.  Goodness. Do we enter into our time with Him with our hearts open to receive from Him as well as to praise and worship Him. Have we become rote, mechanical, routine with our devotions. Where is the fire shut up in our bones?

Let us take inventory of our hearts. Are we allowing ourselves to be content with being busy about the things of God or are we still passionate, consumed with zeal for our first love. It is critically important that we know because he does.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton