"The Heart of the Matter"pt. 3

"Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My Statutes, and you shall keep My Judgments, and do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers: and you shall be My People, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36: 25-28

"The heart is the matter"

In God's Word, the heart is often used as an expression, referring to the core of a person's being, not just our physical organ. It's used as a metaphor for our inner self, the seat of a person's true identity. The heart is the center of our motivations, and the source of our actions. The Lord repeatedly emphasizes the importance of guarding our hearts, because it influences everything we do. It should be of utmost importance to us, to examine ourselves, our hearts, because it's important to the Lord.

In today's scripture, we see that the Lord, thru Ezekiel, addresses Israel's sins and judgments, with a prophetic promise of regathering and restoration for the nation. This prophecy wasn't fulfilled at their return from Babylonian captivity, but will be after the Second Coming of Christ. He tells Israel that He does this, not for their sake, but for His Holy Name's sake, which the Lord, twice, told them they profaned among the heathen nations where they had gone (vs. 21&22). This shows us the the regard the Lord has for His Name, and His Word. A value that He exemplified thru the Life of His only Begotten Son,Jesus. The Word became flesh, Who, lived His Life, to fulfill the Will of His Father, and die on the Cross, as The Sacrifice for our sins, so that we have restored relationship, with God. The Father gave The Word, The Name above all names. The Heart of the Father is The Heart of The Son, a Heart for the world, They Love. Not because the world deserves it, but because that is The Heart of God. (Jn. 3:16). So what is it that God desires for us? What is it that He requires of us? The world system, and religion would tell you acts of penance, "earns" absolution, fulfilling the requirement for forgiveness of a debt owed, or sins committed. The Scriptures tell us different. In Apostle Paul's letter to Titus, he reminds Titus that before "the Kindness and Love of God our Savior toward man appeared", we were "foolish, disobedient, deceived....sinners. Paul reaffirms that it's not our acts or good deeds, that we do that saves us, but by His Mercy and Grace (Titus 3:3-7). The Apostle tells us in his letter to the Roman believers, that if we believe in our heart, and confess with our mouth that God raised Jesus from the dead, we shall be saved. The Resurrection, validated every thing about Jesus' Perfect Life, Perfect Ministry, and Perfect Sacrifice on the Cross (Rom. 10:9-13). "Out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks"(Lk. 6:45). The answer to the above questions, is our heart. When we give our life to the Lord, we are giving Him our hearts, the core of our being, to be changed to a new person, one no longer led by selfish desires, worldly influences, or the devil's lies. Our character transformed and shaped, by His Word and Spirit. Just as we speak from the heart, our actions or works, now take on different meaning. No longer are our works for the Lord out of obligation, or penance, but in response to His Love for us, expressing our love for Him. It's the natural response of a life changed by the Love of God. Be encouraged, to be, as David was, a man after God's own Heart. Pursue the Heart of God, being transformed , in character to the image of Christ, the Heart of God. His Life lived and sacrificed, an example to us, that the "heart is the matter".