If I Only Had A Heart

Fountains of Wisdom-A Study in Proverbs- Part 44—“If I Only Had A Heart”

Proverbs 27: (NIV) ¹⁹ As water reflects the face,
so one’s life reflects the heart.

We looked at the fact that we needed a brain—one set upon the principles of truth found in the gospel. Then what about the scribes and Pharisees who were so filled with the knowledge; yet, could not see that Christ was the Messiah? What about the philosophers, scientists, and even church leaders who have intellectual knowledge; but, seem to be so caught up in worldly desires that they don’t acknowledge Christ as Lord? Or even in my own life, what about those times that I know the truth and still do not live forth the life that I should for Christ. Much like Paul when he wrote in Romans 7:15 (AMP) “¹⁵ For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [^[b]which my moral instinct condemns].” So, if knowledge of the truth is not enough; then, what is the matter?

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The truth is I need more than just a brain knowledge of God, I need a new heart that is alive with the truth of the Gospel—transformed and sustained by God’s love until my heart pumps every beat to His Glory.

As a cardiology nurse practitioner, I work every day with the concepts of the heart. The heart is that organ that pumps life throughout the body and when it stops—life stops. The same is true spiritually. The central core of living forth a life in Christ begins with the heart. Because of sin, we know that the heart of man is filled with self-exalting, selfish pride above all else. Jeremiah 17: “⁹ The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ¹⁰ I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins ”So often, we are incapable of even seeing the depth of our own darkened hearts unless the light of the truth shines into our hearts exposing all the darkness found within. We try to cover it over, we make excuses for it, and we work very hard to try to prove that we of our own are “good.” Still, God has looked down and in perfect righteousness has seen the truth “And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)

There was no hope that man’s stony heart could be transformed into a heart that could reflect the magnificent beauty, glory and love of God without a miraculous transformation. Sin held man’s heart with all His desires to prove himself to be a “god” of his own. After all, wasn’t that what Eve and Adam desired so much that they were willing to destroy their fellowship with God for?

Yet, before creation; God knew what Adam would do and He knew the sacrifice that He would have to make so that a remnant of mankind might learn how to truly love God, relishing in His Glory as the most precious treasure of all. Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins that we might be given new hearts.

Jeremiah 24: 7 “And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.”

He has done it—He has paid the price that we might be saved from the power of sin in our lives. Sin tears at the heart, making us constantly seek for more to life—feeling always restless, unfulfilled. Christ is that which can fill ones heart with joy overflowing, like David sang of. Psalm 26: “⁷ The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him. ⁸ The Lord is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.”

So, what do I do? For those of you who have never known Christ as your Savior, I beseech you to call upon the name of the Lord. He has promised, “Deuteronomy 4: ²⁹ But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.”

For those who know Christ and feel burdened by your sin, the joy being stripped from your heart, or the brokenness that comes from realizing your own failures; I recommend you pray as did David.

“Psalm 51: ⁹ Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my guilt and iniquities. ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right, persevering, and steadfast spirit within me.

God is faithful and as He will keep the promise He made in Ezekiel 36. “²⁵ I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. ²⁶ I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”

And for each of you, my prayer is as that of Paul. 2 Thessalonians 3 (AMP) ⁵ May the Lord direct your hearts into [realizing and showing] the love of God and into the steadfastness and patience of Christ and^[a]in waiting for His return.

Ephesians 1: (AMP)¹⁸ By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones),

¹⁹ And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength,

²⁰ Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places],

²¹ Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come.

So, join me with a heart of love to sing this song with Robert Pierre, I Will love You.

New International Version (NIV)

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Amplified Bible (AMP)

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© 2014 Effie Darlene Barba

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