‘Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD? ......
‘The one who has clean hands and a pure heart. -Psalm 24:3-4
During my daily bible reading this morning, I read something that was thought provoking that I’d like to share.
-Sins of the heart-
Often times our focus is on obvious sin (sins of behavior) but, if we take an honest and straightforward look at what is going on in the inside of us, we have to be ready for a number of strong spiritual challenges. But we cannot allow ourselves to be disheartened, for in looking at our hearts we become ready to move up higher into the thing of God.
What I’m suggesting is this – recognize the cunning and slyly dangerous nature of sin because as long as we focus on the sins that are obvious (sins of behavior), then we tend to forget about any hidden sins that may be in our heart trusting God to deal with them in His own way. Don’t get me wrong, dealing with obvious sin is extremely important but, moral discipline is also part of our commitment to God. We are expected to resist the temptations that come our way and correct any spiritual transgressions that may occur, but to concern ourselves only with the obvious sin and avoid facing the sins of the heart will cause us to miss out on a more prosperous relationship with God and others.
Look at sins of the heart like this. The grime has been so embedded in the carpet that a simple vacuuming will not do the job. We need a scrubbing brush and a strong detergent. Diligence in putting right the things that are obviously wrong is good, but without a clear understanding of how sin has penetrated our hearts, we will be nothing more than surface-copers.
Let’s ask the Father to forgive us for being so content to live on the surface of life and to help us see that in turning our focus to what is going on in the inside of us is not His way of seeking to demean us but to develop us. Give us grace not to draw back from this task.
Further study
Jer. 17:1-11, Gen 3:8, Pro 28:13
What is the tendency of the human heart?
What is one condition for us to prosper spiritually?