Tag Archives: create in me a pure heart

But what have you done for me lately?

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John, a teenager at the time, was listening to the exasperations of his mother. I suppose her frustrations we’re fueled by his not helping around the house, or perhaps a disrespectful attitude. She pleaded with him, reminding him the story that leads all teenagers to roll their eyes: “I carried you in my belly for nine months. I gave birth to you and nurtured you. I changed your diapers and taught you to read.” John, looked at his mother and said,

“But what have you done for me lately?!”

I chuckle when I think of this because I know John and his mom. They were actually quite close and both her pleading and his response were said in jest. But I wonder if you’ve asked that same question in the midst of real conflict and sorrow. Maybe your hard efforts go unnoticed, or worse yet, criticized. Maybe you’ve been on the giving end of a one-way relationship that seems to suck the life out of you for lack of a mutual demonstration of love and concern. Maybe you once knelt before the cross and asked Jesus to save you from your sins and to show you the abundant life he promised. Only now, you look at the difficulties in your life and wonder “God you once filled me with joy, but what have you done for me lately? Where did you go and why did you leave me in this life of woe?”

It’s not that God is a magic genie, subject to our every wish and command. He is not the Great Santa whose job is to fulfill our request list. And still, God promises to be with his people always. His promises of abundant life, filled with love, joy, and peace are true promises. They are ours for the asking. And yet, with our eyes focused on our troubles, we forget the promise, thinking, “It must not be true for me.” The reality of life on earth is that we often focus on our circumstances rather than on God.

I wonder how we might respond if God asked us the same question: “What have you done for me lately? What have you done in my name?” The wonderful news is “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-9

We couldn’t earn forgiveness or favor from God. He offers it to us freely. We access his gioodness and power through faith, which itself is a gift from God. Why? So we could be who we were meant to be, a new creation created in Jesus in order to do good in the world. There’s nothing wrong with random acts of kindness, but you and I were created for more than that. We were create to participate in the work that God himself has prepared us to do. We were made for the very purpose of helping others in practical ways and with the expressed intent of showing them the love of Jesus. We were made to experience and express love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Are these not the blessings he has offered to us recently, even in the day before us?

This leads me to measure my ambitions and personal interests against God’s better plan for me. Indeed, what have I really done for God lately? How have I shown his compassion? How has his power to overcome  my circumstances been evident in my conversations? Is there anything noticeable about my life because Jesus is doing something magnificent for me and in me, not just years ago or even recently, but right now? Is the light of Jesus hidden in my life, or is it able to shine brightly upon the lives of those around me?

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. – Psalm 51:10-12

 

 

 

The battle within

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Someone wisely advised: “Be kind. Everyone is facing a tough battle.”

 

My doctor explained “what a colossal war is going on inside” my body: the battle of the body against the cancer and now the effects of chemo against the cancer AND against my body. He says the body is expending an enormous amount of energy at a cellular level, beyond what the anemia accounts for, in what is for the moment, a losing battle for the body. It will not have victory until it first falls. But THEN the victory will come!

 

It reminds me of the other battles we all face daily, sometimes unaware of the nature of our fight.

 

I suppose none of us seeks out the suffering that comes to our door. And when it does come, we are so eager to wish it away. But whether troubles are caused by a medical cancer or the “cancer” of broken relationships, physical pain, intense grief, or destructive attitudes, there are valuable life lessons to be found in suffering – if we listen.

 

God’s Word describes suffering as a refiner’s fire that has to get hot enough for the impurities to flow to the top, leaving only the highest quality purity remaining in your life. Suffering does that by stripping away false pretense in our lives so we can focus on what matters. CS Lewis says our pain demands attention. It draws us away from a wasted idle life of ease and comfort. We know God shows us compassion in our suffering so we can share with others in the lives of others in our path.  Sometimes suffering puts us in situations that actually advance the gospel.

 

But one of the supreme benefits of suffering – if we embrace it – is to draw us closer to God and develop qualities we could never learn or apply without such a hard teacher. Charles Spurgeon compares this to the soldier in the battlefield:

 

“God knows that soldiers can only be made in times of battle and are not developed in times of peace. We may be able to grow the raw materials of which soldiers are made, but turning them into true warriors requires the education brought about by the smell of gun powder and by fighting in the midst of flying bullets and exploding bombs, not by living in pleasant and peaceful times. So dear Christian, could this account for your situation? Is the Lord uncovering your gifts and causing them to grow? Is he developing in you the qualities of a soldier by shoving you into the heat of the battle? Should you not then use every gift and weapon he has given you to be a conqueror? Do you understand that God may take away your comforts and privileges in order to make you a stronger Christian? Do you see why The Lord always trains his soldiers, not by allowing them to lie on beds of ease but by calling them to difficult marches and service?”

 

My sister shared this quote. You know the truth, but I really appreciate the simple statement:

Trials don’t make us or break us.
They simply reveal what’s in our heart.

 

“Create in me a clean heart, O Lord, and renew a right spirit in me!”
Psalm 51:10

 

Whatever battle you are facing, know that you are not alone. Our good God desires you to prosper from it, not succumb to its pressure. Good and faithful friend, ask God to reveal what’s in your heart as you face your battle so you can use this time to draw closer to him and find his rest, his peace, and his strength to be “more than a conqueror” even in the middle of your storm.

 

Do lukewarm Christians go to heaven?

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It’s a provocative question but I think it’s one we should ask; not to cast judgment toward others. I think we should ask it when we look at ourselves in the mirror.

 

Some people think they have it all figured out – everyone goes to heaven: you, Mother Teresa, and Hitler. Many people think whoever who does ‘enough’ good works will go to heaven. Others ‘imagine’ that there is no heaven or hell. But none of these views align with what I read in the bible.

 

Thankfully, I can’t judge the hearts of my fellow sojourners. God says, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy.” (Romans 9:15, quoting Exodus 33:19) His grace cannot be earned or bought. It’s a free gift to all who truly believe and repent of their sin. But if we really believe that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life” we should live accordingly, full-out, right?

 

The wheat and tares grow up together but are separated at harvest. There is a narrow gate that few go through and a broad gate to destruction that many enter. We’re told that all of Israel will be saved. But just as “not all who are descended from Israel are Israel,” (Romans 9:6) it seems not all who think themselves Christian are actually followers of Christ. Scripture calls for an active and living faith, evidenced by actions, that continually grows in maturity and fruit.

 

Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.” (Revelation 3:15-16)  It’s a warning to those who profess to believe one thing but live in ways that contradict that belief.  While the natural response of a devoted follower of Christ should be ‘hot’ (on fire for the Lord), He’d rather us be hot or cold than lukewarm. His warning is to take a stance and live according to your belief. Otherwise, He will ‘spit out’ the lukewarm, unless they come to repentance. Does it seem likely He will spit out authentic Christians?

 

For sure, none of us live a perfect life.  If we could, we wouldn’t need a Savior. We all seek to live too much in the comfort zone instead of growing up in his likeness. It’s not a matter of who is a better Christian than someone else. It’s a matter of the heart.

 

God searches and knows our heart and invites us to do the same. Ask yourself if your desires and ambitions in life truly match His. Ask God to reveal the secrets of your heart that even you might not know. Ask Him to reveal if there is anything lukewarm about your faith and to change your heart.

 

Lukewarm is great for baths and picnics, but it’s a dangerous place for us spiritually. Don’t judge others. Simply yield your life to our wondrous and merciful God who wants to draw you into his presence – now and for eternity.

 

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:10-12)