Human Hearts Are Amazingly Alike

Throughout Corrie Ten Boom’s travels she talked with people in America, England, Switzerland, Germany, Holland and many more places and one thing she always said was,” human hearts are amazingly alike.”   To that I give a hardy AMEN!  In my few years of ministry I have seen the exact same thing.  We all need Jesus, all of the time!

So this year I implore us to walk closely with the Lord and spend some intentional time in the Word of God daily.  I was reading Kay Arthur last night and she laid out what happens to us as we try to live a life separate from God’s Word.  I actually thought it was one of the best expositions I have heard on the subject of faithful bible reading.  So here it is for you…

“I believe that it is absolutely crucial that you and I slow our pace and discipline our time in order to be in the Word of God on a daily basis.  Why? Because when we’re not in the Word- reading it through consistently- we forget who our God is and what He expects and requires.  We have a tendency to rationalize our humanity and forget His holiness. 

We lose our perspective of eternity and become ensnared in the temporal.  We lose the burning, overriding passion fueled by truth that brings our flesh into subjection.   We lose the heart-desire to be holy, to please God, to be perfect even as our heavenly Father is perfect.  We lose the driving inner hunger for righteousness, which comes in those quiet moments of meditation as we sit at the feet of the Most High God in prayer and adoration.”   

Have you seen that progression in your life?   I told Kevin last night that one way I know I haven’t spent enough time with My Lord is that my mind shifts from thinking of eternity to thinking of the temporal.  This may sound strange to you but I think about Heaven often and each day I feel it is closer and more real, but when I move away from the Word, I find that all of the sudden, Heaven doesn’t seem like such a reality anymore. 

I know the emphasis here is placed on what we lose if we don’t remain in the God’s Word, but check this out… Just spin the list the other way…

If I slow my pace and discipline my time and spend time in the Word daily:

I will know God and what He expects and requires

I will see God’s holiness

I will not rationalize my humanity

I will have a heart-desire to be holy

I will have an eternal perspective

I will not be ensnared by temporal things

I will have a burning passion fueled by the truth and my flesh will be in subjection to the Spirit

I will desire to be holy and please God

I will hunger for righteousness

How amazing is that! That is definitely what I want this year!  How about you?

“My son, give attention to my words… Keep them in the midst of your heart.  For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their body”  Proverbs 4:20-22