‘GOD knows my heart’
But never forget His way is right side up
“I know divorce is wrong, but I haven’t been By Bethany Riehl happy in years, and God knows my heart.” Our world is upside down. “Yes, this show is full of profanity, nudity and That might very well be the most obvious senviolence, but it doesn’t really affect me; God tence you will read today. knows my heart.” No matter where you stand on any given issue, We can say this simple phrase and most of I’m certain we can all agree that the world has the time it shuts down anyone that might quesgone mad. Truthfully, it’s been that way since the tion our actions because we insist that they don’t Fall; nothing is new under the sun (Ecclesiastes know our motives the way God does. And that’s 1:9). absolutely true. I’m not here to bemoan the state of our world. It’s important, however, to remember that this is I’m here to share something with you that began what He says of our heart: to dawn on me in the last few months – soft light, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and barely distinguishable at first, but rising ever more desperately sick; who can understand it?” (Jeremiah on the horizon in brilliant gold and pink hues. 17:9, NIV) Our world, Christian, is the one that is upside Yowch! Not quite the innocence we’re assuming, down. More accurately, our God’s world is right Bethany Riehl right? He goes on: side up and we look at everything from the wrong “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, angle until we look at it from His. The longer we walk with God and saturate our hearts, souls, and to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” (Jeremiah 17:10, NIV) minds with His Word, the more that Word illuminates His ways God knows our hearts and motives better than anyone, and that and gives us an awareness of what is actually true. should make us shudder to ignore any loving admonition prePaul Washer recently said in a sermon, “You see, earth’s problem is: how can God judge? Heaven’s problem is altogether differ- sented to us that seeks to help us grow in righteousness. Does this mean we are helpless and hopeless to do good? Absoent: how can God save – pardon – wicked men and still maintain lutely not. For as many verses about the wicked state of the heart His righteousness?” of man, there are also a great many that ensure us of the miracuThat statement has me looking at everything differently. Take lous changes we undergo in Christ. for example the phrase, “God knows my heart.” Maybe you’ve Ezekiel 36:26 assures us that when we become believers, God said or heard this. As truthful as it is, we can agree that this simple removes our heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. phrase has more often become Christian lingo for, “Stay out of Now it’s soft and moldable and, to make us more like Him, God my business, I don’t answer to you.” Or, at the least, a quick diswill test our heart and cut out the sin that we hold so dear. missal of things that might require a deeper examination of our Romans 7 reminds us that our flesh and our spirit are in conown motives. stant tension with one another, fighting for control until the day “Yes, I cut that guy off in traffic, but I’m running late, and God we pass from this life to the next. knows my heart.” God knows my heart – yes! And…oh no. It is not as innocent as I “No, I haven’t been to church in years, but I watch online, and would convince myself that it is. God knows my heart.”
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20 March / April 2022 | Christian Living
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