Our Hearts and God

People who believe in God encounter a constant dilemma. How much attention do we give Him, and how much do we give ourselves?

God proclaimed himself to be a jealous god (Exodus 20: 4). His jealousy is not the normal kind. He does not covet anything we have or do. After all, He has the whole universe and can do anything. Instead, He is jealous for us with a godly jealousy, what Paul described in 2 Corinthians 11:2.

By our very nature, we are devoted first to ourselves. To be devoted to God, we have to overcome our self-centeredness, which requires help to accomplish. Church worship can help grow our devotion to Him, but it can become perfunctory and ineffective, if we let it. A purpose of religious holidays is also to promote godly devotion, but secular forces can distract, again if we permit them. Engaging in outward spiritual rituals without inward spiritual pursuit of God is meaningless to Him (Isaiah 58: 3-9). This is because “The Lord looks at (our) heart” (1 Samuel 16: 7).

Blessings ironically happen when we turn our hearts to God and away from ourselves. “Delight in the Lord, and he will provide the desires of your heart” (Psalm 37: 4-5). Proper desires of our heart include blessings the world cannot provide. A major one is “the peace which passes all understanding” (Philippians 4: 7) that acts as a heavenly sentinel, protecting our thoughts and emotions from worldly anxiety and grief.