A Home for My Heart

As I was contemplating a topic for my article this month, phrases relating to the heart kept surfacing. I found myself or someone else saying things like, “My heart is just not in it”, “It just breaks my heart when----“, “The message was heartfelt”, “…..Oh, that tugs at my heartstrings”, The heart of the matter is ….”, “My heart is so heavy”, “My heart hurts”, and you can probably add others.

According to Webster, our physical heart is the vital organ that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood to the body. It occupies the most important place in the human system. The word ‘heart’ is used over 800 times in the Bible. The heart, in its moral significance in the Old Testament, includes the emotions, the reason and the will, according to W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary. The first time we read of a “broken heart” is in Genesis 6:5, 6: “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”

In the New Testament, it denotes the seat of physical life, the seat of moral nature and spiritual life, the seat of grief, joy, the desires, the affections, the perceptions, the thoughts, the understanding, the reasoning powers, the imagination, conscience, the intentions, purpose, the will, and faith. Is it any wonder we use “heart” phrases so often? They seem to express so much with so little effort.

You have heard the cliche, “Home is where the heart is.” But, what about my church home? Where is my heart when it comes to commitment to a church family? Do I have the same responsibility there as in my physical home? Can I just come and go from one congregation to another without becoming a member of a congregation of people who have identified themselves as Christians? Do I really want to be identified with them? Where is my heart in this matter? Is it possible there is no church family deserving of my fellowship?

Perhaps David has some answers for us. God says, “I have found David, the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all my will.” Acts 13:22 (NKJV) In Psalm 51:10 David prays, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” And, later in Psalm 139:23-24 we find, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Proverbs 4:23 is well-known: ”Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.”

Jesus said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37) In the book of Philippians, Paul addresses his letter to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi. “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. I always pray for you, and I make my requests with a heart full of joy because you have been my partners in spreading the good news about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (Philippians 1:3-6) Paul continues in Philippians 2:12, 13, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

The truth of the matter is that we must nurture our hearts to keep them “right with God”.  The overall superiority of Christ and the Christian life is the central theme of Hebrews. It contrasts the Old Testament system of animal and crop sacrifices with a new life in Christ, God’s Son, who died for our sins. “Moses was certainly faithful in God’s house, but only as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later. But Christ, the faithful Son, was in charge of the entire household. And we are God’s household, if we keep up our courage and remain confident of our hope in Christ…...Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, as long as it is called “today”, so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God. For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.” Hebrews 3:5, 6, 12-14 (NLT)

We, as God’s children, make up the body of Christ. We belong to Christ’s Church. Christ’s home is where my heart is!

Loving, Father, as David prayed, I pray that You create in me a clean heart, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. It is with a grateful heart I come to You, praising You for the privilege of being your child and for the eternal home you have prepared for those who love You and obey Your will. Thank you for Christ’s Church and for the faithful who have shown me the way home. In the precious name of Jesus, Amen.”

Jan Alderfer,

Stephenville, TX

‘