#changed heart

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God.

2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.

5 Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness which is idolatry.

6 Because of these, the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience,

7 in which ye also once walked, when ye lived in them.

8 But now ye also put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.

9 Do not lie one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds,

10 and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created him,

11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all and in all.

12 Therefore, holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,

13 forbearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrel against another: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.

14 And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.

15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye are called in one body, and be ye thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

“... a true Jew is one whose heart is right with GOD.  And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a CHANGE of HEART produced by the Spirit.  And a person with a CHANGED HEART seeks PRAISE from GOD, not from people.”   -  Romans 2:29

There is real transformation.  True circumcision.  It is not merely obedience, but transformation.  The result of that obedience is transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.  The fruit of the Holy Spirit.  It is more than just an overflow.  It’s a lifestyle -- that is, it is lived through out -- daily.  Truth applied.  Word applied.  It is lived out.

And a changed heart seeks praise from GOD, not from people (v29:b).  His desire is not to please men, but to please GOD.

The heart has a tendency to become proud because of the knowledge one has gained overtime.  It becomes boastful; full of pride.  It has a tendency to look down on others; and we sometimes praise ourselves for thinking highly of ourselves over others.

Is it human nature?  How does one remain humble?

And Christians are not exempted from this.  We become biblically intellectual; we gain so much knowledge overtime.  We learn GOD’s truth, but we become like the Pharisees, too because of our prideful and self-righteous heart.

God, how do we avoid that?  We become great with theology; we pride about knowing apologetics and other theological terms.  What has happened to the heart?

The once child-like heart -- one who is pliant, teachable, innocent, obedient, a heart that listens attentively.  What has happened to that heart?  We grow in our knowledge, yes.  We grow spiritually, but we too become offenders to others who know little about Christ because of spiritual pride.

What are we building on?  Is it our relationship with GOD?  Or is it our mind -- to fill it with theological truths but not practicing them?

Jesus, no wonder Paul tells us to fix our eyes on You.  Our example -- One who knows all yet is humble.  You are a King, yet You lived with the outcast. 

You chose Your disciples not among the people with rank; but You chose fishermen and tax collectors, and even prostitutes.  They were not highly educated.  But You used them mightily.  You used them to share the Gospel.  They were not to boast about themselves.  

“He chose what the world looks down on and despises and thinks is nothing, in order to destroy what the world thinks is important.” - 1 Corinth 1:28

They didn’t think highly of themselves,  but they were to proclaim GOD’s truth.  The glory, honor and praise were for GOD, and not for them.  Who was their focus?  It was You, Jesus and not themselves.

Life is not about us.  It is all about Him.  

-S.L.H.  Weaved in His Image (09.05.2018)

by Phillips Brooks

No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. - 1 John 3:9 | English Standard Version (ESV)