Such An Heart / Mrs Susan Ballard

Mrs Susan Ballard

Pastor's Wife

Grace Baptist Church

Marion, IA

 

 

"SUCH AN HEART"

Since February is heart disease awareness month, as well as the time in which we celebrate romance with Valentine's Day, the heart has been on my mind and heart! I began to search the scriptures for what kind of heart God desires in us so we can truly have a "healthy" heart.

In Deut. 5:29 it says "Oh that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children, for ever!" Ecc. 12:13 tells us this is our "whole duty."

To have a healthy heart, God first desires that we fear Him. Prov. 1:7a teaches us that "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:"  When we learn to fear the Lord, it is only the beginning, a starting place, for our knowledge and wisdom to grow.

We must add to it, in our actions, as proof of our fear of Him, as Abraham did in Gen. 22:12. The angel of the Lord said that God knew Abraham feared Him because he "withheld not his son". He obeyed God and followed His will, trusting Him with his only son. If you look back at verse 5, Abraham told the two young men with them that he and his son would go up to worship and come again to them. When Isaac began to question where the sacrifice would come from, Abraham told Isaac in verse 8 that God would provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering. Even before God provided a ram in verse 13, Abraham had faith to trust in Him.

What are you and I withholding from the Lord? Thus far, I've not been asked to sacrifice my son on an altar, nor am I completely certain I have enough faith to follow through with the task as Abraham did. 

Second, God desires that we keep his commandments. Ps 119:11 teaches us to hide God's Word in our heart so we can avoid sinning against God. We must read it, respect it, meditate on it, memorize it, and teach it to others. If we don't, how will we know what his commandments are so that we can keep them? There are more than just ten written throughout the Bible.

We must also seek Him with our whole heart, according to Ps 119:2, and 10. In order to accomplish this, it will take some time studying His Word. Ps 119:34 tells us we must observe His Word with our whole heart, asking for understanding through prayer as we read it. Ps 119:63 tells us our close companions should be those that fear the Lord and keep His precepts. Having the right friends is as important for us as adults as it is for our children. Ps 119:69 states that we must keep His precepts with our whole heart. Are you getting the picture drawn here, that our WHOLE HEART should be consumed with the Lord and His Word?

I recently witnessed a wonderful illustration that has stuck with me ever since it was presented. The speaker used two basketballs, one filled with air pressure as recommended and the other deflated, flat. Of course, the one filled properly was the one chosen to be used, because it was able to complete the desired task it was expected to do. The other was of no use, no value to anyone because it was not able to be used as it had been designed to be used. Someone neglected to make sure it had been aired up. 

If we're going to have a healthy heart, we must make sure we fill it with the things of God so we can "perform" as He has designed us. Notice also that Deut. 5:29 also contains the promise that when we fear Him and keep his commandments, it will be well with us, and our children, for ever! Oh that each of us would have "such an heart"!