What's In Your Heart?

Luke 6:45
Matthew 15:8
 
I was reminded of the story about a lady that lived in London England who wore a little gold locket in the shape of a heart around her neck.  And there were people that would ask her Hey let me look inside of it -  let me see what’s inside your heart,  but she wouldn’t let anyone look in it.  So when she died and family members were going through her things they ran across this locket that she had been wearing for years.  Everyone wondered what was inside of her heart shaped locket. Some thought it might have been a picture of an old boyfriend. But when they opened it up there was not a picture, but a little slip of paper. On that slip of paper it said “Him who I have not seen, yet loved”.  In other words she was saying that the Lord Jesus was her love.  She hadn’t seen Him but she loved Him.  It’s just like us today, we haven’t seen the Lord but we love Him and I’m quite sure those people that opened it were really surprised when they saw what was in her heart-shaped locket.  So the question is: what’s in your heart?

In our passage from Luke we read “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh..”

In other words the good man brings forth good things out of the treasures of his heart.  Jesus also says in the latter part of that verse out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.  In other words, your mouth will echo what’s in your heart, whatever it is.  Whatever is in your heart is going to come out. Sometimes people say: I don’t know where that came from.  It was in your heart!  

So what’s in your heart?

In Matthew 15:8 Jesus quotes from the book of Isaiah: These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me (NLT).

In other words they talk a good game.  They put on a good show, but Jesus knows their hearts.  Jesus says their hearts are far from me.  If their hearts was were in line with what their lips say, they’d be all right.  You’ve heard people talk about giving lip service – that’s what He’s talking about, they say the words, but it isn’t sincere.  As He says: “You draw nigh unto me with your lips (with your words) but your heart is far from me.”

God wants our lips and hearts to line up with Him.  We definitely need to look at what’s in our hearts.  If God were to examine each of our hearts – like the woman’s heart with the slip of paper - what would He find?

What would he find in our hearts?  I think that’s a question that each and every man and woman needs to ask themselves this morning.   If God were to reveal what’s in my heart to every man or woman around me, what would they see?  A lot of things would pop up and we’d probably be embarrassed. We would want to hide or put a mask on our face so people wouldn’t recognize us. 

God looks at the hearts of men; He doesn’t look at our intellect.  Here at the University a lot of times you’re looked at for your ability or your intellect but God is not looking at our intellect.  He’s not looking for our ability; He’s looking for our availability.  You see the bible even tells us that the disciples were unlearned men.  They weren’t highly educated with PHDs and doctorates and stuff, but one thing they had going for them - they had a heart of serving.  They had a heart of availability and they had a heart for God.  So - what’s in your heart?
​~J.T.