Condition of Heart

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

– Proverbs 4:23

Samuel was a very godly man, even from his youth. Hannah had rightly prayed for a son at a time when the Nation of Israel needed a spiritual leader. Samuel’s life was dedicated to God in service. One would expect him to be completely attuned to the Spirit of the Lord. However, when he came to choose the next king of Israel, Samuel looked upon David’s older brother and said, “Surely, this is the one!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Even a godly man can misunderstand things. The only One who can determine what is in the inward parts is the Lord.

Incredibly, we often forget that God sees and knows the intents of our hearts. The Apostle Paul wrote that the Lord would “bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.” The only way Jesus can do that is if He sees the inward person, and we know that He does. The heart is the place Jesus rushes to because “He desires truth in the inward parts!”

The condition of the heart is critical in our walks with Christ, this is why Jesus points out sin. Not to condemn, but to save. Not to make one feel bad, but to make one right with Him. Just as with the Pharisees of old, we can excel in what can be seen by others and be careless by only what God can see. May we each repair our hearts to Christ today in perfect submission.

“Compromise with the spirit of the age short-circuits the power of the eternal Spirit, and thus neutralizes our spiritual influence.”

– J. Oswald Chambers