Cross Your Heart
Cross Your Heart
The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable—who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9)
What Kind of Heart?
It is common in Christian circles to hear people speak about giving their hearts or their lives to Jesus. The intent behind such statements is good insofar as it reflects a total abandonment to God and His will for our lives. But language can sometimes shape our understanding of life as much as it reflects it, and for that reason it is vitally important that our language reflect biblical truth. The truth is that anyone who offers his heart to Jesus is offering Jesus something that is “more deceitful than anything else, and incurable.” Seen in that light, maybe it’s not such a great gift after all.
God’s Gift to Us
The basis of our life with God is His gift to us, not ours to Him. God is always the Giver; we are always the receivers. We must not be confused about this. Keeping this reality straight gives us a constant source of encouragement and joy because we don’t have to trust in the purity of our hearts as the basis of our acceptance by God. It reminds us that our trust is in the perfect goodness and righteousness of our great Redeemer.
Of course, this kind of thinking—biblical thinking—is counterintuitive. Natural thinking would never arrive at the conclusion that looking away from ourselves to Another would be the one thing that could set us free and make us righteous. But that’s the cross-your-heart truth.
Bottom Line
When you focus on your righteousness in Christ, you will actually become more righteous. When you focus on your own heart, you will grow discouraged.