Glad hearts, sad hearts, broken hearts, discouraged hearts, healed hearts … what is the condition of YOUR heart?

If you are reading this then it’s a given you have a pumping thumping heart!  It’s what keeps us alive.  If your heart is not pumping … you’re dead!  So pay special attention to your heart.  When we exercise our heart rate goes up, if it gets too slow — watch out!  If your heart beats erratically or if pain suddenly hits your chest … get to a doctor!  Pronto!

What IS the heart?  It’s not just our physical pump … but it encompasses our will, emotions, thoughts … it’s who we ARE.  The heart in this sense could also be called our soul.

So what can we do to protect our hearts besides doing the “natural” things like correct eating, exercise and weight control?

First of all we must recognize that our hearts are inherently evil, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 KJV.)  In plain English that means if we are left to our own devices we will do wicked, evil things!  Have you ever had to tell a little child to lie or to be selfish?  No!  It simply is in the heart to do wrong.

God made us in His image but we forfeited that in the Garden of Eden. “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5 KJV.)  Our hearts have been deceived and have turned us aside, “A deceived heart hath turned him aside …” (Isaiah 44:20 KJV).

When my brother was a young man the doctor said he had a heart murmur.  What’s that?  A heart murmur is an unusual sound coming from the heart that can be detected by a stethoscope and may indicate the presence of a heart disorder.  Another definition is “a mumbled or private expression of discontent”.

Well, there are some heart murmurs (heart disorders, discontent) in folks today.  There are evil murmurings and the children of Israel were good at those!  Exodus 16:8 in speaking of the Israelites, “…your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord.” Ouch.  There are other verses that clearly state their murmurings were against Moses, Aaron AND the Lord.  Their mumbled expressions of discontent did not please God.

God did not and does not look favorably on murmurers!  Numbers 14:29, “Your carcases shall fall in this wilderness … which have murmured against me.”  Same is true in the New Testament … Philippians 2:14, “Do all things without murmurings and disputings …”

Is your heart murmuring in discontent?

God delights when we meditate on His goodness, His Word, His promises, His commandments.  Psalms 19:14, “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”

Is your heart meditating on Him?

There are so many references to the heart in God’s Word.  I’ve read the Bible through many times and in a couple of my Bibles I have made a little heart in the margin every time the word “heart” showed up.  (You can easily find the references in Strong’s concordance.)

Which heart is yours?

Adulterous, anxious, arrogance of heart

Backsliding, blameless, broken heart

Committed, condemned, condemning, contrite, courage-less heart

Crying out for God heart

Deceitful, delighted, deluded, desiring, discouraged, disloyal, dull heart

Entreating, evil, exulted heart

Failing, fainting, faith filled, firm, foolish heart

Glad, godly, good, grieving heart

Happy, hard, hasty, hurt heart

Iniquitous, instructive, intoxicated heart

Joyful heart

Knitted, known (by God) heart

Learning, lost, loving, lowly, loyal heart

Meditative, melodious, merry heart

New, non understanding heart

Observing, obstinate, overflowing heart

Perverse, pierced, praising, proud, pure heart

Receiving, rejoicing, repentant, restless heart

Sorrowful, steadfast, stony, stubborn, swayed heart

Tender, tested, trembling, true heart

Uncircumcised, understanding, unfeeling, united, upright heart

Weak, whole, wicked, willing, wise, worshiping heart

Yearning heart

There’s more to that list!  But here are a few  more …

Heart that is not haughty – Ps. 131:1

Heart God directs – Pro. 21:1

Heart reveals the man – Pro. 27:19

Hearts God sees – I Sam. 16:7

Hearts live forever – Ps. 22:26

His yearning heart for me – Is. 63:15

God judges mind and heart- Jer. 11:20

God’s laws in our heart – Heb. 10:16

God’s love in our hearts – Rom. 5:5

A heart to know God – Jer. 24:7

God is greater than my heart – I John 3:17-21

A day of vengeance in my heart – Is. 63:4 (ESV)

A people in whose heart is My law – Is. 51:7

Say in your heart – Is. 47:8, 10; 49:21

Lay these things in your heart – Is. 47:7

Hearts far from Me – Is. 29:13 (ESV)

In his heart to destroy – Is. 10:7 (ESV)

I saw a sign in a secular store:  “Follow your heart … it’s the only compass you need.”  As soon as I saw the sign I said to the friend with me, “What does that make you think of? The scripture says that the heart is deceitfully wicked!”  Then I went to Hobby Lobby and saw a sign: “Bind my wandering heart to Thee.”  Much better!!

So, where is your heart?  What is the condition of your heart?

“Search me, O God, and know my heart … ” Psalm 139:23

Song:

Give me a love that knows no ill,

Give me the grace to do Thy will;

Pardon and cleanse this soul of mine,

Give me a heart like Thine.

Come to my soul, blessed Jesus,

Hear me! O Savior divine!

Open the fountain and cleanse me,

Give me a heart like Thine.