Tag: The Heart

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It Is Your Life

DECEMBER 12

MATTHEW 7:25_and beat upon that house…

Rains, floods, and winds cause destruction on their own, combined they cause catastrophe. Jesus says they beat upon the house. Jesus, the Stonemason, is in the process of building you a house—it is your life. 

What are the rains, floods, and winds which beat upon your house? They are the hurts and struggles you experience in life. The struggles which draw you closer to your rock, Jesus, or closer to your captor the devil.

Remember the parable of the persistent widow who did not give up making appeals to the judge? The parable begins in Luke 18:1, ‘And he spake a parable unto them [disciples] to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.’ The purpose of the parable is to teach persistent prayer. Prayer is an essential rock. The word faint in this verse can mean lack courage or lose heart. During the days when life beats you up do not lose heart. Do not forsake prayer. It is an overcomer. 

When Job’s life was beat upon, his so-called friend said to him, Job 4:4:5 (KJV), “Thy words have upholden him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened the feeble knees. 5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.”

Struggles will beat on you—be rock ready.

PRAYER

Savior, Help me be rock-solid to face the struggles of life. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.  

Christ is the Rock of prayer and courage—I want that!

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Your Heart Listens

DECEMBER 6

MATTHEW 7:24_heareth these sayings of mine…

As the Master Stonemason Jesus works from the bottom up. Step one is to hear. Hearing the words of Jesus is important. You can be physically deaf and hear Jesus’ words. By the same token, you can rate perfect on your hearing test, listen to the Bible read by Alexander Scourby for an hour, and never hear a word. Where you think is where you hear—in the heart. The heart’s door, where Jesus knocks, is a place of communication.

Jesus is very specific about what He wants you to hear, “these sayings of mine.” The word sayings can be interpreted as a statement or declaration by God. If your ears hear, it is because your heart listens.

At least eight times in His teachings, Jesus says:                                                                   

Matthew 11:15 (KJV),”He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Matthew 13:9 (KJV), “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

Mark 4:9 (KJV), “And he said unto them, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”                                                                              

Mark 4:23 (KJV), “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.”

Revelation 2:7 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

Revelation 2:11(KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

Revelation 2:29 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”                                                                                   

Revelation 3:13 (KJV), “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith…”

PRAYER

True Word, Please help my heart to listen so my ears can hear. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ speaks to my heart—I hear!

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At the End of the Day

DECEMBER 4

MATTHEW 7:23_ye that work iniquity.

The word iniquity can be translated as lawlessness.

We could study all six hundred plus laws—eventually they fit into one set.

 Matthew 22:36-40 (KJV), “Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

Galatians 5:13-14 (KJV) “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”  

When it’s all said and done, at the end of the day, life boils down to whether we loved God and His people. If we lived life contrary to that we are workers of iniquity. Jesus not only will not know us, but ask us to leave His presence.

When we stand before the Day of Judgment we want to rejoice in God’s incomparable mercy. We want to remain in His presence, to live in the kingdom of heaven, and continue to love God and His people.

We want to praise our friend, Jesus, who made the way.

PRAYER

Good Shepherd, Praise You that I can live with You forever! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.             

Christ made the way to live forever in Heaven—I will!

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Point of No Return

DECEMBER 3

MATTHEW 7:23_will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me…

I can think of nothing sadder than to have the ultimate source of love and compassion, Jesus, say He does not know me. The One who has loved me from my birth. And now I stand before Him at my death and my name is not recorded in His Book of Life!

I may face a lot of hardships, pain, and struggles in life, but glory to God, I will never hear those words spoken to me! And neither will any of you who completed the August 29th Salvation Post in this blog. Don’t for a minute let the devil deceive you into believing otherwise. This verse is not for you.

There comes a time when rescue is no longer an option—a point of no return. That day comes when Jesus opens the Book of Life and does not find your name. The names in the Book of Life are the names of the saved—whose hearts were opened to the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

I wish Jesus had not used the word many in this teaching—but He did. There are going to be some surprises on Judgment Day because Jesus sees through sheep’s clothing.

You don’t have to be one who is surprised.

Get your name in the Book!   

PRAYER

Messiah, Praise You that Your blood wrote my name in the Book! In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.          

Christ writes my name in the Book—With His blood!

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Many

NOVEMBER 27

MATTHEW 7:22_Many will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord…

Jesus begins this verse with the word many. I already feel bad that not everyone will go to heaven, but now I feel worse that the not everyones are many. 

This reminds me of the narrow path, when Jesus says few will find it. It also causes me to think about how He said many will go in at the broad gate.

From this Sermon on the Mount Jesus has taught me who comprises the many:

Those whose righteousness does not exceed that of the Scribes and Pharisees (chapter 5:20),

Those who cause others to believe they are empty-headed idiots (chapter 5:22),

Those who profit from the bondage of human trafficking (chapter 5:29-30),

Those who do not forgive (chapter 6:15),

Those who choose the broad path to destruction (chapter 7:13),

Those who are ravening wolves and bring evil into the world (chapter 7:17).

None of these actions exclude anyone from heaven by the action alone. The exclusivity comes from the heart. The heart which excludes Jesus.

The actions can all be forgiven and erased when the heart opens to include Jesus.

The actions reveal the heart.                    

PRAYER

God of All, You have taught me to include You in my heart. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.             

Christ desires to be included in my life—I will let Him!