AFFAIR OF THE HEART




“'Even now,' declares the LORD, 'return to me with all your heart,
with fasting and weeping and mourning.' Rend your heart and not
your garments. Return to the LORD your GOD, for he is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he
relents from sending calamity. Who knows? He may turn and have
pity and leave behind a blessing-- grain offerings and drink
offerings for the LORD your GOD.
Blow the trumpet in Zion, declare a holy fast, call a sacred
assembly.”
                               (Joel 2:12-15) NIV

       The concept of discipline is, sometimes, a hard pill to
swallow. Have you ever said you were going to exercise for the
sake of your health, yet find yourself so busy you could not fit it
into your schedule? Or, have you ever known that losing weight
was the absolute best thing for your health? Yet, you could not
adjust your schedule so as to allow you to find and prepare the
foods needed for you to eat properly.  

Well, in actuality, it all boils down to discipline. Having the proper
discipline will enable us to accomplish any task before us.
However, being disciplined in the various situations and
circumstances of life requires a clean heart (Psalm 51:10).

The reference scripture suggests that it is extremely essential that
people have the proper relationship with GOD for us to be able to
accomplish anything in this life. That right relationship with Him
comes from us divesting (or emptying) ourselves of ourselves and
allowing Him to constantly create in us a heart and a desire to
please Him.

Such takes discipline.

Note. GOD makes it clear that human discipline is not a matter of
outward appearance or action. The prophet Joel relates an
impassioned statement from Him: “Rend your heart and not your
garments. Return to the LORD your GOD, for He is gracious and
compassionate.” Rending of clothes was considered an
expression of grief during the time that Joel prophesied. So,
rending or tearing ‘your heart’ suggests what we know today as
repentance.

If the truth be told, most human beings who call ourselves
christian are guilty of going ahead of GOD to establish our own
way(s) (Proverbs 1:31-33, 14:14, 29:15; Isaiah 58:13, 66:3;
Ezekiel 33:17). Look at the indictment from Isaiah 53:6 – “All we
like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his
own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”

It is an affair of the heart, of the attitude within each of us. Simply
put, GOD wants us to realize this fact, seek His way (Matthew 6:
33), believe His promise, repent (turn away from following our own
minds or hearts), and determine to follow Christ by emptying
ourselves of ourselves.

The choice is yours. Let your heart (mind) be fully in Christ Jesus.




               Ricki Y. Fuller,
             Because of Christ
Meditate on These Things
MEDITATE!


CONSIDER!



THINK!



CONTEMPLATE!




STUDY!


FOCUS!



MULL OVER!



CONTRIVE!


Attend to Carefully!



PONDER!


Think over
in your
mind


DELIBERATE