He Is Faithful to My Heart Part 3 - Strengthening My Love

I watched Evan Almighty for the first time a few nights ago with my sister.  I was hesitant to watch it after watching Bruce Almighty, but I was pleasantly surprised by what transpired in the movie. It isn’t a typical Hollywood movie and the humor suited my taste more than the average comedies produced these days.  What I loved most about the movie was how the screenplay echoed my walk with God.  Obedience is a difficult thing for every believer. When God asks us to do something, the difficulty often lies in the fact that these tasks 1) take us out of our comfort zone, 2) require us to give up something we’re holding onto, and 3) are too big for us to complete without Him (translation: the tasks are overwhelming).  These are just a few of the challenges we face in obedience.  However, He does nothing in vain or wastefully, and with every assignment He gives us, there is a purpose and there will be great fruit that will strengthen us and feed others.

My favorite quote in the movie is, “Let’s just say that whatever I do, I do because I love you.” I was ready to cry when Morgan Freeman (who plays God in the movie) says this. It struck a cord with so many things that are going on in my life right now. I’m sure the sentiment would be the same at any given moment in my life. The truth is that our walk with God in faithfulness and obedience is not easy. There is much pain and heartache that comes as we die to flesh, but there is also a joy greater than the deepest pain that is promised and available for us now. To me, this quote epitomizes the heart of the Father for us. It shows His faithfulness in drawing us to Him.  The things He asks of us don’t always make sense to us, but when we obey, we are given a deeper understanding of His love and being strengthened to withstand the times that are to come.  When Jesus speaks to the disciples about the signs of the end times, He warns: “And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved” (Matthew 24:12-13, NKJV).  Whatever God does, He does because He loves us. His directions to us increase our love for Him and for one another so that when lawlessness abounds, our love will be strong in Him.  He is faithful in growing our love lest it grows cold and we turn from Him. He does this through the commands He gives and the tasks He places before us to accomplish. They are not always easy, but in the end, they will help keep us abiding in Him. Each task He gives is an opportunity for us to strengthen our hearts in Him. Let us approach these opportunities with the surety of His faithfulness and love for us.

He Is Faithful to My Heart Part 2 - Uprooting Offense

 The Jewish Fall Feasts were celebrated a month ago.  I’m growing in appreciation for these wonderful celebrations.  There is such a rich revelation of Jesus to be found within these feasts, and I believe the Body of Christ needs to give more attention to them.  But what does that have to do with His faithfulness to my heart (or yours for that matter)? Well, within the line up of the Fall Feasts is Yom Kippur, which is the Day of Atonement.  According to the Old Testament law, once a year, the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the whole nation of Israel. While we know that Jesus is our atonement for eternity, there is a hidden gem in the way Jews prepare for this wonderful day.  From Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) until the end of Yom Kippur are the ten Days of Awe (or the High Holy Days). During this period, observing Jews examine themselves and take the time to repent to God and repent to one another to ensure that their names are written in the Book of Life. As believers in Jesus Christ, we have an assurance of our eternal salvation and can view Yom Kippur as a time to express our gratitude to God for the blood of Christ that has redeemed us.  While I think it is fairly common for us to confess our sins and repent to God, I don’t think we repent to each other enough for the hurts and offenses we’ve caused.

It is so important for us to remember the atoning sacrifice Jesus made for us on the cross. Without His sacrifice, we would not be able to commune with God.  When we ask forgiveness of God, we know He gives it to us because Jesus died for our sins. However, after reciting the model prayer, Jesus offers a nugget of truth found within the prayer, saying: “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15 NKJV). God extends so much grace to us with the desire of drawing us into relationship with Him and others through repentance and love.  Offense is a deadly poison that kills the body as well as the soul.  Offense has been the reason for the collapse of many great ministries and the fall of many great men.  The bible warns against allowing offense and bitterness to grow time and time again. It is so important that we draw to Him and one another in love, suffering the heartache that comes with relationships and forgiving when necessary. We need not only be willing to forgive, but our willingness must translate into action whether the other person is ready to hear and receive our pardon or not. The same goes for repentance. We need to have a repentant heart towards the LORD and each other when we sin. I also believe, at times, the offended needs to repent to the offender and God for allowing hurt to grow into bitterness and hate. Too often, we can only see the hurt inflicted on us and we blind ourselves to the hurt we inflict on others when operating with a bitter heart. But praise God! He is faithful to instruct us in the art of repenting and forgiving. He is faithful in highlighting the offenses within our hearts and drawing them out through forgiveness. He is faithful to shine His light of love upon our hearts, uprooting the darkness of offense and making us more like Him through humility in the process. When the offenses are highlighted and He prompts us to repent and forgive, we must act according to His direction. It will always be humbling, but it is very necessary. When we confess our sins to one another, our hearts are exposed, but it’s important that we do not allow offense to dwell within us.  He is faithful to reveal it, and we must be faithful to act on this revelation.  If we fail in the moment of prompting, there is an appointed time once a year for us to clean our hearts. Then we are able to enter into a new year free of the weight of offense and covered by the atoning blood of the Lamb.