The Heart That God Wants
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July 05, 2015 |
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 "For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace" (Romans 8:6).
Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
God wants His beloved children to feel happy. So, He wants them to cast away fleshly thoughts that lead to death and have spiritual thoughts that lead to life and peace. One with goodness is always full of peace and joy because he or she has spiritual thoughts. Now let's delve into the heart that God who is spirit wants us to have.
1. God wants us to seek others' benefits, not our own.
God tells us not to be guarantors for debts because when it goes wrong they may become enemies and have pain (Proverbs 22:26). Nevertheless, some people ask others to be guarantors for their debt without consideration for them. Some want to have things that are better than what others have. If they cannot have it, they feel uncomfortable, frown, or cause arguments. All are seeking personal benefits.
But there are some people who like to seek the benefits of others. Genesis 13:9 reads, "…if [you go] to the left, then I will go to the right; or if to the right, then I will go to the left." Abram (later Abraham) received great blessings. His possessions and those of his nephew, Lot, were so great that they were not able to remain together. Then, Abram allowed Lot to choose the better land. In fact, the right of choice was Abraham's but he yielded it to Lot.
When Lot chose the better land, Abram felt happy and peaceful. This is true goodness. We should check if we seek others' benefits with happiness like Abram did or if we seek our own benefits.
Suppose you may say, "If you choose right, I will go to left." But in your heart do you still want what is better? Or, if others choose the better, do you feel discomfort? Although you may have such feelings, some of you may think you are of goodness because you accepted a disadvantage. However, you are still seeking your own benefit, but you just don't realize it.
Some people may want 'the left' but say, "I think the right one is better for you, so I will choose the left and let you have the right because it is better for you." It sounds good, but those who do it just choose what they want and pretend to consider the other and give way to him. Also, there are those who yield but feel regret and don't really feel good about it because he thinks, "That person is loved and recognized by others although he always seeks his own benefits. Just how long do I have to accept disadvantage?" This is not the heart of goodness.
God looks at the inner heart of man. We must not pretend to serve others but must have the heart to serve others. Then we can resemble God who is spirit.
2. God does not want us to put the desires of our hearts before His.
John the Baptist made the way ready for the ministry of Jesus who was coming as the Savior. From his youth, he lived separately from the world and never took in any worldly pleasure. He lived in the wilderness and ate locusts and wild honey as he waited for God's calling.
When the time came, John started his ministry and many people followed him. But when Jesus started His public ministry, many of John's disciples went to Jesus and followed Him. Before long, John was even imprisoned.
John did not feel sorrow nor was he disheartened. He did not think, 'I have devoted all my life to God's work but I am going to die in this prison though I am still young.' Instead he said, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30). When his disciples went to Jesus and followed Him, he did not complain or feel discomfort. He thought it a matter of course. He felt happy just to see God's providence being fulfilled.
Matthew 6:33 reads, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." If one values God's kingdom more than his own desire, God is pleased with his heart and He will fulfill his desire quickly. But some people seek their own benefits although they think they seek God's kingdom. It happens when they don't do what they don't like and only do what they like.
For example, some wives do not fulfill their duty as a wife and a mother using God's work as an excuse. But this covers God's glory. This is also not putting God's will before our own. Mark 7:11 says, "But you say, 'If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God).'" God does not teach us that we don't have to give to our parents and fulfill our duty as children because we give to God. He wants us to serve parents as well as God, and thereby we can glorify God in the family and the workplace.
There are some people who seek their own glory and satisfaction although they think they put God's will before their own. They feel uncomfortable when their faithfulness and efforts are not recognized. They lose heart when there is no fruit as expected. Moreover, inwardly they even have resentment toward God.
If we value God's will more than anything else, we won't lose heart or feel disheartened in any kind of situation. We can always rejoice and give thanks just as "the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace." We can rejoice just because God's work is fulfilled. It is heart from goodness.
3. God wants us to do everything with a sense of consideration and service and not with a sense of duty and obligation or habitually.
One mother is doing the housekeeping and she is lamenting saying, "I am not a maid or machine … when is this kind of life going to end?" So, she just cleans the areas that are seen and serves ready-made meals. If the children complain about the food, she scolds them. On the other hand there is another mother in the same situation who quite differently says, "What would they like the most for dinner this evening?" So, with the desire to make the family members happy, she cleans the house singing praises. She does house chores with consideration of family, not with a sense of duty. Male members should check their hearts in both the family and the workplace. This can apply to house work, business, and God's work as well.
When you clean up after a church event, everyone's aroma of heart is different. You might think, 'Nobody really recognizes me, so I'm not going to do it next time.' Or, you might not do a thorough job thinking, 'I'll just finish it quickly and take a rest.' Or, you might not complain and do the work faithfully, but you just do it because that's what you've been doing for a long time and now you do it without putting much thought into it. But of course, the latter's attitude is better than that of the former kind of people. But if you do all the work with love and service, you will volunteer not just with your action, but with the aroma of your heart. You will serve others thinking, "This is the precious church of God. I will clean this place thoroughly so that the church members will be able to use this place when it's all clean and neat."
We should work with gratefulness for the opportunity and the desire to pay back the Lord's grace for saving us and for God's great love. Ephesians 6:6-7 says, "...not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men." I urge you to do everything with consideration and service all the time just as if you do it to the Lord.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if you love God, I urge you to seek the benefits of others from your heart, cherish the things of God more than anything else, and serve and consider others in every circumstance.
When you serve your parents, children, and even little ones, the hardened part of your heart will be broken and your heart will be changed into good heart. Then you can give out Christ's fragrance. I pray in the name of the Lord that by doing so you will preserve your spirit and soul and body complete, without blame at the coming of the Lord.
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