Tag: Gospel of Matthew

Heart Healer

.Reading time 5 minutes.

broken heart

Jesus was asked in Matthew 22:36 what the greatest commandment is. You probably remember His answer; “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” Do you think that’s a lot to ask? Really? God wants me to love Him with all that’s inside me?

Well, before we can come to any conclusions about how this can happen we need to deal with a couple of truths about the heart. First, we all have a heart that’s under attack! That’s right, your heart, as is mine, right now, as your eyes are reading these words is under an attack.

In his book “It’s Your Call,” Gary Barkalow explains that there are three aspects that every person who encounters Jesus Christ through His Gospel will live out:

1. The Truth

Every person is faced with the truth of God through general revelation and then more directly through the special revelation of God the Son. In Psalm 19, the psalmist tells of how the creation speaks of who God is and all the people of the world can see, or hear, this truth. Hebrews 1:1-2 states, “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” We are all faced, at some point in our lives with the truth.

2. The Heart

Did you know that you and I were born with a broken heart. Maybe you’re like me. As I read Jesus’ words that I must love God with all, I instantly know that in and of myself I’m unable to love anyone with all; except maybe myself. That’s because we are all born with hearts that are separated from the One who gave us our heart, soul and mind. Thank God, He came after us so that can be remedied!

3. An Assault

Then, those who respond to the Gospel of Jesus and place their faith in Him, both for eternal life and this life now, will undergo an attack from the Evil One himself. The Devil wants to disrupt our relationship with God through Jesus Christ in any way he can. (By the way, that’s why it’s so important to armor up!)

So, how does a broken heart love anyone, much less God, with all?

That brings us to the second truth; it’s a process. Paul Tripp says it this way, “God has chosen that our growth be a process, not an event.” 

How do we begin on the process to love God will all? As stated above, first, armor up with God’s armor to deflect the fiery darts of the devil. (Ephesians 6) Secondly, realize that you and I have a serious tendency to compartmentalize our hearts. That is, we will choose to only give God certain parts of our heart; the parts we feel comfortable giving Him at the moment. If you’re wondering how this works just remember, we’re all master of compartmentalizing our time too. We’re very good and deciding that God only deserves a certain amount of our time. So it is with the heart.

Where do we start?  By remembering that God is the great heart healer. You can trust Him with your heart! As you realize the parts of your heart, soul and mind that you’re not giving Him, learn to trust Him with those parts too. And remember, God is always the great heart healer and He will never, ever break your heart.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

His love is greater than any broken heart.

ReFocus

.Reading time 3 minutes.

As I was studying and writing preparing to preach a sermon from Matthew 15, a truth jumped out at me from the text. In Matthew 15:29-31, Matthew records that Jesus, as He did many times, had a large crowd around Him full of people who needed help. I could say it this way, they were people who desperately needed their circumstances changed. This leads me to a question, however. What is the purpose of Jesus changing someone’s circumstances? 

The response of the crowd, after Jesus did all this healing and  circumstance changing was pretty awesome. Matthew records that ” the crowd wondered.” I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure if I brought a friend to Jesus, or I was the friend who was carried, I would be in some kind of state of bewilderment when Jesus came through and healed. When Jesus changes circumstances like that, it’s always an attention getting act!

But, why is He trying to get our attention. Well, there’s a clue later in that same verse but before I tell you that let me share this truth:

Jesus does not change circumstances simply to get you to look more favorably on your circumstances.

Jesus doesn’t step in and make life better or heal or help financially or answer a prayer that we’ve prayed asking for some kind of possession, (let me make clear that I’m not saying Jesus doesn’t answer those prayers, He does), just to get us to be more satisfied with the world around us. He’s not trying to get you to focus your attention of your stuff, even when it’s stuff He’s provided. So, what is He doing? Here’s a second truth that helps me put this into focus:

You always go in the direction in which your attention is focused.

When Jesus steps in and changes circumstances He does so to get your attention and focus it on something other than your circumstances. Notice what the crowds did when Jesus healed those who came for help, “And the glorified the God of Israel.” The Lord knows, that you will be going in the direction today in which your attention is focused, and He wants you going in His direction!

Where’s your attention focused today? That’ll be the direction that you are heading. I want to encourage you to place your focus fully on God, not your circumstances whether they’re good or bad. When your attention is on God alone, you’ll always be heading in the right direction!