Jeremiah 17:10 New International Version (NIV)
10 “I the Lord search the heart
and examine the mind,
to reward each person according to their conduct,
according to what their deeds deserve.”
The Bible mentions the human heart almost 300 times. In essence, it is saying that the heart is that spiritual part of us where our emotions and desire dwell.
A man with heart has this core value that was given to him from God. It is the man who is inside. I like hanging out with men who have heart. They see good in other people no matter where a man comes from. A man with heart can see what a person can be. A man with heart sees the beauty in life itself. The coffee time opportunities that I have with men help me see the heart. A man with heart brings a smile to waiters or waitresses that serve them the coffee. A man with heart has a willingness to help a person who is with age. They open doors for others. They talk to people and help lift their spirits.
It is interesting to me as you read Jeremiah 17:10, that the Lord searches and examines a man’s heart. This means he is looking inside. What core value of heart is in that man?
Last month we memorized Jeremiah 17:9, ‘The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?’
As men, it is easy to fall into deceit and wickedness. Our heart has a bent to go there. From generation to generation, the Father has been dealing with man’s heart. How is the condition of your heart? Does it need a jolt to get it pumping again?
I have found that keeping my heart with right motives is all about the closeness I have with the Father. How much time do I spend with him, and am I in his written Word?
I like David’s response when he is at the lowest part of his life when he writes Psalm 51:10, ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God’. Maybe that is you today? The Father created you, and he can restore and clean your heart.
Vital Men have heart and a heart for the True God. He has a heart for his wife. He has a heart for his family. He has a heart for people. He has a heart for Jesus’ Church. That is who we are. We are chasing the Father’s Heart.
Strength and Courage
Mike