IT’S A MATTER OF THE HEART AND MIND

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills. My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures
I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country. Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled My anger, and it will burn forever.”

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”

Jeremiah 17:1-4, 9-10

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

What parts of the body dictates who we are and what we do?

An easy answer to this question would be the mind because when it comes to our way of thinking, speaking, and doing, we tend to focus solely on the brain. But when we look at today’s scripture passage, drawn from the opening verses of Jeremiah, Chapter 17, we see that the Lord looks at the mind and to one other important part of our anatomy: the heart. Look again at God’s word here:

“Judah’s sin is engraved with an iron tool, inscribed with a flint point, on the tablets of their hearts and on the horns of their altars. Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles beside the spreading trees and on the high hills. My mountain in the land and your wealth and all your treasures I will give away as plunder, together with your high places, because of sin throughout your country. Through your own fault you will lose the inheritance I gave you. I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for you have kindled My anger, and it will burn forever.”

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.”  Jeremiah 17:1-4, 9-10

Note here that the sins of God’s people were not etched in their minds but rather their hearts, hearts that the Lord Himself proclaimed He searched. No one else has the ability to look inside someone and see their heart without some kind of device but God needs no help. He can look inside our hearts and see what we’re up to. He observes our every thought, no matter how much we might try and conceal them. Nothing is hidden from His view.

So what did God see when He searched the hearts and examined the minds of His people?

He saw that they were not devoted to other gods and idols in direct violation of His command to have no other gods before Him. The people of God who were expected to be completely faithful to Him were found to be anything but faithful. Their deceitfulness was discovered and that warranted consequences because God will not stand to be betrayed, denied, disregarded, and disrespected. Anyone who would do any or all of those things toward Him would incite His anger and have to pay the price for their actions.

In the case of the Israelites, the price was steep.

God sent attacking forces from Babylon who assaulted the once divine land He had given to His people as an inheritance. The land would be overrun and buildings would be left in ruin to include God’s temple. Any possessions the people had were taken away from them, plunder for the victorious Babylonian empire. And the people themselves would be taken away and enslaved by the Babylonians in their homeland for seventy years.

Hindsight being 20/20, the Israelites would have behaved differently, I’m sure. They learned the hard way that when you violate God, you will be penalized for it.

So where does that leave us today? Where does that leave you today?

What does God see when He searches our hearts and examines our minds? What does He see when He peers into your heart and studies your mind?

Does He see hearts and minds free from sin, committed to His word, will, and way, and devoted to Him and the righteousness He desires? Or does He see deceit and a stubborn inclination to disobey and dishonor Him?

One way or another, God has promised to reward each of us according to our conduct and what our deeds deserve.

Will that be blessing or judgment for you?

It’s a matter of the heart and mind.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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