WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Monday, April 20, 2026

 

WHERE IS YOUR HEART!

 

Matt 6:19-21

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

 

          While preparing to speak at a ladies’ banquet, my wife used the above portion of Scripture as the foundation of a talk called “Treasures of the Heart.” The word treasure, in verse 13, is translated from two Greek words. The word ho which is a definite article like “this” or “that” and the word thesauros which means “a deposit.” Jesus argued that wherever you find your deposit you would also find your heart.

 

          The body of David Livingstone was buried in England where he was born, but his heart was buried under a “mpundu’ tree in the Africa he loved. At the foot of a tall tree in a small African village the natives dug a hole and placed in it the heart of this man who they loved and respected. If your heart were to be buried in the place you loved most during life, where would it be?

 

Dear Lord, you are my great treasure! Let my heart be buried at the foot of the cross. AMEN

 

ARE YOU GOING?

 

Sunday, April 19, 2026

 

ARE YOU GOING?

 

Acts 4:11-12

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

 

          If you walked up to a man on the street and asked him if he were going to heaven, he would very likely tell you yes. If you pressed him for a reason why he thought so, he would list all the good things that he had done and then tell you that he has done none of the atrocious things seen on the late-night news. He is faithful to his wife, grudgingly pays all his taxes, is a member of at least one service club in the community, and he goes to church occasionally. The problem in all of this is that there is no mention of Jesus – and Jesus is the Lord of the heaven to which he claims to be going.

 

          The New Testament is conspicuously free of any mention of denominations. We do not see Catholics, Methodists or any other denomination that claims a superiority of faith or methodology to all the others. We do see one Baptist, but I don’t think that qualifies. Allegiance to a particular clan or group and a close following of their practices is insufficient to purchase a ticket to heaven. Jesus is the Lord of heaven.

 

Rom 3:23-25

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

 

          The word “propitiation” in verse 25 is the Greek hilasterion which literally means “an atoning victim!” Practically, the word means that Jesus and His shed blood is the only thing that will satisfy the righteous requirement of God. So, we can cast aside our own self-made goodness along with our religiosity and community involvement because Jesus is the only propitiation for sins. The only One!

 

Yes I know!

Words & Music: Anna W. Waterman, 1920

 

Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless,
Jesus’ blood can make you free;
For He saved the worst among you,
When He saved a wretch like me.

 

Refrain

And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean,
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus’ blood can make the vilest sinner clean.

 

Dear Lord, tearfully I thank you for being my atoning victim! AMEN

 

THE LORD WILL FINISH IT!

 

Saturday, April 18, 2026

 

THE LORD WILL FINISH IT!

 

Ps 138:8

8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me:

 

Comfortingly, the Hebrew word translated “perfect” here is the word gamar (gaw-mar') and means “to end.” The idea is that God will bring all that concerns us to a successful completion. The New Testament confirms this thought in the following verse.

 

Phil 1:6

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

 

The Greek word for “will perform” is epiteleo (ep-ee-tel-eh'-o) and means to fulfill further (or completely), i.e. execute; by implication, to terminate, to bring to a full and satisfying end.

 

God will keep working on me until He is satisfied with the finished product. He will keep on working despite my ignorance until wisdom begins to develop in me. He will keep on working despite my weakness until His strength is made perfect. He will keep on working in spite of my stubbornness until I am humbled because He is a firm but loving heavenly Father. He will bring me to maturity.

 

God will keep on fine tuning His purpose for me. He will bring into my life those who can influence me for good even if the circumstances of these encounters seem bad at the time. He will shut down some of my pet projects because they do not fit His purposes for me. He will lead me through hard paths because they end in the accomplishment of His greater purpose. He will allow pain and restrain pleasure so that I may become mature.

 

Rom 8:28-31

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

 

Dear Lord, thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for seeing value in me that I cannot see in myself. Thank you for changing my good plans for your better plans. AMEN