The Hole in Our Heart

The other day a man stumbled into the hospital barely conscious. One minute he had his senses, the next he was delirious. The trained hospital staff jumped into gear and put the gentleman on to a gurney and whisked him off to be examined. The ER doctor was called and as the gurney was being rushed through the corridors, the doctor stepped out of a room and joined in the rush down the hall. On the way he looked the man over. No sign of outward damages. In fact, from the outside the patient looked as though everything was fine. Obviously the problem was internal.

As the staff wheeled the man into an examining room, the doctor was checking the pulse. Something was wrong. There was something about that heart that wasn’t quite right. X-rays were ordered. Sure enough, when the X-rays came back that doctor saw the problem. It was a major heart condition. In the very center of the heart there was a huge hole that seemed as big as eternity. The man had basically been living his entire life as a dead man, as a man with a hole in his heart. Short of giving the man a new heart, there was nothing that could be done.

But, instead of telling this helpless man what needed to be done, the doctor decided what the best thing to do was to distract the man from his condition.

“You know, what you need is a new car. That ought to make you feel better. Get a good looking woman to hang on your arm and you should be as good as new. In fact, you’re a good guy- that condition isn’t as bad as the X-ray says. Those people who tell you that you have a problem are a bunch of morons. Where do they get off trying to tell a guy like you that you need a whole heart to be healthy. Bunch of medical fundamental extremists! They’re all a bunch of morons!”

Though the afore mentioned doctor is fictitious, he does illustrate that this is the type of advice we are getting today about our spiritual condition. Ignore the problem of the hole in our hearts, trying to distract us, play it up as not that important, act like it doesn’t exist, even condemn those who would be so narrow minded as to point it out.

But it is true- we have all sinned. We have all fallen short. Solomon makes this point well in the Old Testament book called Ecclesiastes.

For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin.

Ecclesiastes 7:20

To tell you anything less is to play the role of the unfit doctor. We need God’s help to repair the damage that sin left- a hole in our hearts, and that hole is as big as eternity, it is as big as God, and only God will satisfy our deepest longings and needs. When a person responds to the love of God, he will find that the damaged heart will be on the way to healing.

A Few Q’s for You

How were or are you distracted from your need for God?

How has God filled that hole in your heart?

Write your answers in a “comment”. Keep it anonymous if it is too personal. I’ll pray for you.

Yes or No

While flying on a small airline a man was approached by the flight attendant and asked if he would like a lunch. Looking up from his book he asked the flight attendant what his choices were. To which she answered, “Yes, or no.”

There are some instances in life when the answers are not encumbered with an endless supply of possibilities. Instead the answer is pretty black and white, Yes or no. Make your choice. It’s that simple.

Such is the case we find in Joshua’s challenge to the Israelites. He was asking them to make a choice as to whom they would serve.

…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River… But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15

There was the choice, Will you serve God? There was not a plethora of options. Yes or no. Which will it be? I am happy to say that at that particular moment the people chose to follow God; they said, Yes!

But this option or choice is not confined to the pages of history or the Old Testament. It stands for us today; it beckons to us, to you, for a decision. Will you serve the Lord? Yes or no? May it be said that at this particular moment you said, Yes.

If this was helpful, you may like to read A Wrong Turn.

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Don't Worry

Saint Francis of Sales had a great understanding in trusting God with his future. He said, “Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father; who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. Either he will shield you from suffering or he will give you unfailing strength to bear it.”

This thought was not original to Saint Francis; fact is, he learned it from Jesus.

I say to you, do not worry about your life… Matthew 6:25

Jesus gave us this simple little guide for our life- Don’t worry. Yes, there are many things that can call to us saying that all is not well, that we may not make it. Perhaps it could be financial. There just seems to be more bills than ink in the pen. Our worry may be relational. Does he or she really care about me? And the list may go on and on from titanic proportions to the trivial. But they call all the same, making us worry.

But there is that still small voice calling through the centuries to us today- “Don’t worry.”

But why? Why would Jesus give us this guide? Is it because He was an idealist? Was he a motivational guru? Was He simple minded? Or was there something more?

The answer is plain. There was more to it than just having a good attitude. There was a great reality that God would and will take care of His own. When you read the verses that follow Matthew 6:25, you find that Jesus goes into detail on how God provides for the birds of the air. He even points to the common flowers and declares that God takes care of them as well. Then He points out the obvious,

Are you not of more value than they? …will He not much more cloth you…? Therefore do not worry… Matthew 6:26-31

And there is the reason we can be free of worry. Not because I am great and can take care of myself; not because I have friends in high places; not because of anything other than the great fact of God’s unending care for us. Put you trust in Him today and don’t worry.

A Couple Q's for You

What kind of things make you worry?

How has God helped you in the past?

What is something that is hard today that God is helping you get though it?

Write your answers in a “comment”. Keep it anonymous if it is too personal. I’ll pray for you.

Trust

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust. Now that’s a big word! Yes it is only five little letters long, but it carries a lot of weight. It is one of those words that are easily said, but more difficult to perform. We have a hard time putting trust in a product or a stock. It is enormously difficult to trust a dentist when he says, “this won’t hurt a bit.” Do you trust a politician? I find it difficult to trust my own feelings. And at times it can be difficult to put my trust in God.

It is hard to trust someone you have not seen. I think that is why I have such a hard time with those telemarketers; I can’t see them- is he dressed professionally? does she have a kind face? is he yawning when I’m talking? It can be like that with God. I can’t see or hear Him. That’s a hurdle to get over. In fact, when it comes right down to it, the only way that one can come to God is through trust.

Without faith (another word for trust) it is IMPOSSIBLE to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe (another word for trust) that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (emphasis mine) Hebrews 11:6

So we must come to God with an attitude of trust. Trusting that He has it all figured out; I may not, but He does. Trusting that He has a good plan; mine may have failed, but His never will. Trusting that He can see me through dark times; I may not be able to see, but He sees perfectly.

This also means, as the proverb above says, that I must learn not to trust myself, but to trust God. Or, to put it another way, Trust God before I trust myself. He is far more reliable; He sees far more than I can see; He knows more than I will ever know; He is infinite and I am finite.

Oswald Chambers said it so well, “Trustfulness is based on confidence in God, whose ways I do not understand. If I did, there would be no need for trust.”

Trust God today with what He wishes to do with your life.

If this was helpful, then you may enjoy reading The Clocks.

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Given by Inspiration

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. II Timothy 3:16

Donald W. McCullough, in his book The Trivialization of God, said, "The glory of nature does not leave us completely ignorant concerning God; creation witnesses to a Creator. The question is what kind of creator? About the only thing we can affirm when we look up at the grandeur of stars or down into the intricacies of cells is the power of God. Stay attentive to nature, though, and the situation becomes ambiguous. The ambiguity of nature was un-poetically but accurately expressed by Rodney Dangerfield when he said, 'I put a seashell to my ear and got a busy signal.'"

We need more than just the revelation of nature; we need the revelation of God's Word- the Bible. And it is through that book that we are able to know God. And what does it teach us?

God is love. I John 4:8

We find that God is the very definition of love- of unconditional love. Every time we turn around in the Bible it seems as though we see love pouring from heaven upon man.

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

We also find that God has plans for your life. You are not a forgotten person. On the contrary! You are very much in the forefront of God’s mind. He is thinking of you; He has made plans for you; He has hope for you.

So much more can be said about the attributes of God, but they can all be found in the Bible. Though nature is a good start, the only place to get the full revelation is through the Bible, which was given by inspiration of God.


A Couple Q's for You
How have you seen God's love you in the Bible?

Has God ever shown you direction for an issue through something you were reading in the Bible?

Write your answers in a “comment". Keep it anonymous if it is too personal. I’ll pray for you.

Keeping His Word

Lord God of Israel, there is no God in heaven above or on earth below like You, who keep Your covenant and mercy with Your servants who walk before You with all their heart. I Kings 8:23

It has been said that if you could take all the lawyers in America and lay them down head to toe in the Arizona desert, that it would probably be best to just leave them there. I say that jokingly, for there are many good lawyers, and I am sure we would be for the worse if there were none. But, the joke does capture the idea that there is a huge pool of lawyers in our society. And most of them do nothing more than make sure people follow through with what they say they will do.

We need lawyers to write contracts, review contracts, enforce contracts, defend contracts, and so on. Why? Why do we need so many lawyers? In short, because people fail to keep their word!

But we will never have this problem with God; He always keeps His word. There is no one in heaven, no one on earth who can keep his or her word like Him. Many men will keep their word as long as the keeping of it doesn’t hurt them. If there is to be great financial pain, get out of the contract, file bankruptcy, hide your assets… Do something, but don’t get hurt!

Not so for God. He will keep His word even if it hurts. All one needs for proof of that is to look at the Cross. God keeps His word!

Let this verse be comfort for you. The Bible says,

The Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6

Our end of the bargain is simple: Walk before Him with all our hearts. We do so in response to His great commitment to us; His commitment of resources, love, support, peace, kindness, hope… What a little thing for us to give in response: our hearts.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart… Matthew 22:37


A Few Q's for You
Is there something that you are facing right now that is causing you to stress out or loose hope?

How is God showing you today that He is with you even though times are tough?

Write your answers in a “comment”. Keep it anonymous if it is too personal. I’ll pray for you.