God Looks at the Inner Heart
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August 04, 2013 |
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 "'For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD.' And he worshiped the LORD there" (1 Samuel 1:27-28).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
There was a woman named Hannah. Her heart ached because she had no child. Moreover, Peninnah the other wife of her husband provoked her, which caused her heart to ache even more.
One day when she was greatly distressed she prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly in the temple of God. She made a vow and said that if God let her have a son she would give him as the Nazarite. That son was the Prophet Samuel. When she had weaned him, she brought him to Eli the priest and left him to remain in the temple of God. By doing so, she kept her vow to God.
It is actually not easy to offer up one's only son to God. But Hannah kept her vow to God without any hesitation. She gave thanks to God and praised Him for His grace in listening to her prayer and giving her a son.
God knew this heart of Hannah and answered her prayer. Let's now take a look into the three kinds of inner heart that God wants us to have.
1. Unchanging Heart
Many church members are engaged in a fierce spiritual battle to attain the rock of faith. They guard their lips so that they won't speak carelessly and they try to remember and keep in mind any decisions they have made and not to change them in their free will.
Now, let's think about our hearts when we first received a God-given duty and when we professed, "I will fulfill this glorious duty for the kingdom of God the Father!" We have to check if we are still performing the duty with the same heart without a change of mind, or whether, unlike in the past, our mind has become at ease.
Some of you might have missed meetings due to personal reasons once then twice. At times, you left in the middle of the meetings. Initially you felt sorry before God, but later, your feelings of embarrassment and shame soon disappeared. Of course, you might confidently say, "I did not abandon my position or change."
But still, we have to think about how well we have been applying the Word of God in our actual everyday lives. For example, some people prayed so many times to cast away hard-feelings, serve their spouse with all their hearts, or speak only words of goodness. They promise many things to God with their lips, but not many of them actually keep their promises. Furthermore, they do not even remember what they promised to God in their prayers. This is to mock God.
I hope you will realize what an unchanging heart is through the story of Hannah written in 1 Samuel 1:26-28. God the Father heard the earnest prayer of Hannah and let her conceive a son. When she actually had such a desired son in her bosom, what would she have felt? She must have been overjoyed for the son was so lovely!
But when she was offering Samuel to God, did her heart sway in any way? Would she have said, "Father God, this little child still needs the hands of his mother. I will offer him to You just a little while later"? No, she didn't. She rather said, "So I have also dedicated him to the LORD; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the LORD" and kept her vow.
As she kept her vow without changing her mind, God the Father blessed her to give birth to three more sons and two daughters. If we offer prayers with an unchanging inner heart like Hannah, we can become greater strength to the kingdom of God.
2. Heart that Does Not Compromise
When someone hears the word 'compromise' they might immediately think of new believers who are compromising with the world. But in their growth of faith, according to each one's circumstances and growing process of faith, they can compromise in various ways.
It happens when we look at all the situations only according to our own views. To be more specific, we compromise thinking that it is for the kingdom of God.
For instance, a housewife has her duties and responsibilities to her family at home. Sometimes she will find it hard to be faithful in all aspects while performing God-given duties. So, she may sometimes neglect her responsibilities to her family members. When she hears her husband or children complain, she gives the same excuse saying, "I have to fulfill my duties, so I do not have time to care for this family." She compromised her family responsibilities saying she has God-given duties.
Let me give you another example. Sometimes you might have to take care of some matters in your parish or mission groups. But some of you think a certain duty is what you really have to do, and you neglect all the other things thinking it is only natural. If you cannot be present in other meetings, you have to pray for those meetings. But if you justify your choices without feeling sorry at all for not being able to be present in other meetings, you cannot please God. If you increase your capabilities and do more than what is given to you, you can store up more rewards in Heaven.
Proverbs 16:2 says, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the LORD weighs the motives." You might think all your acts are good in your sight, but you have to check whether your hearts are proper in the sight of God who looks at your inner heart.
Your first priority has to be the will of God the Father, and to make this happen, you have to pray carefully thinking about which choice is goodness and truth. This way, your prayers will not contain your own viewpoints or your own desires. Also, because you do not have any intention to compromise, you will not give any excuses. Then, you will be able to acknowledge your fault, and you will realize your shortcomings that you could not see before. As you realize your fleshly attributes that are revealed, you can also more quickly go into spirit.
3. Heart where Spiritual Love Has Been Cultivated
As you cultivate spiritual love, you will seek the benefit of others before yours. Just as Matthew 22:39 reads, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you will feel others' pains as your own and seek their benefits. However, some people seek their own though they say and think that they are seeking others' benefits.
For example, there is a member who breaks peace, so as a leader, you point it out. But after hearing your advice, that member shows that she is uncomfortable. She does not listen to your advice, and she still keeps on breaking peace. Now, you also show some resentment saying, "I gave her advice with love, but she is too stubborn to accept any advice." This proves that you wanted her to obey you just because you are higher in the order. You also show you wanted your group to have peace without thinking of the other person.
If you really prayed for that member with love, that person will also feel love from your advice. Otherwise, you should check whether you lacked love in giving advice. Prayer without love in this way cannot be spiritually powerful. You can receive the answer to your prayers when you pray for the kingdom of God and the souls with perfect love. Also, as your love deepens and broadens, the vessel of your prayers will also broaden. The bigger vessel you have, the more things you can consider and pray for.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if the focus of our life is towards God until the end of each day, a meaningful life can be lived, while another person without that focus might live a meaningless day. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will get recognition as a person who has an unchanging heart that does not compromise and seek your own benefit and be used as pillars in fulfilling the providence for the kingdom of God.
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