What is in your heart?

What is in your heart?

Betsy O’Callaghan

I have been pondering some scriptures about the condition of our heart and answering God’s call. In Luke 6:45 it says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil…” This verse has caused me to question what is in my heart. What am I treasuring there? Because I don’t know about you, but in all honesty sometimes the things I do and say do not reflect good treasure.

We live in a “Me First” world, and we are constantly being encouraged to “have it your way”. If we believe we have a right to do things our own way, or to indulge ourselves, we reflect that with the choices we make with our time and money. In studying the book of Daniel with Beth Moore she talks about the similarities between our culture and the Babylonian culture. We have so much wealth and so many choices of what to do and where to spend our resources, especially compared to the rest of the world. (75% of the world lives on less than $10 a day). How do we live in this culture of decadence and self-absorption and not become absorbed in it? We are called to stand apart from our culture, not blend in. (See 1 Peter 2:9) Daniel purposed in his heart not to defile himself with the culture he was in. Can we do the same?

There are so many verses in the Bible about our heart and in counseling people I often ask what is on their heart. What is underlying their words and actions? What are they revealing about their beliefs and values by the choices they make? For instance if I say I love my family but I have no time to spend with them, what are my actions saying about what I really value. I often tell clients to turn down the volume on the words and let the behavior speak. Actions do speak louder than words, and I want both to reflect a heart for God. My desire is for God to cleanse my heart and unite it to fear His name. (Psalms 51:10 and 86:11)

God has a specific purpose and a plan for our lives. He has called each of us to follow Him. I have set my heart to follow His call. Just like enlisting in the military, you can’t answer the call to serve your country then go on a vacation and forget about it. When we accept Christ and commit to being His disciples we have to change our hearts and our lives to reflect that commitment. If someone was watching you, your behaviors, your attitudes, and your choices, what would they see? In reality, people are watching you and that is part of God’s plan so we can be a good reflection of Christ and draw others to Him. “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” 2 Cor. 5:20

My prayer for all of us is that we will examine our hearts, resolve to be different from the world around us, and answer God’s call on our lives.

God’s promise to those who love Him is that He will work all things together for good, Romans 8:28.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as Your Counselor in Christ,

Betsy O’Callaghan