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Articles from September 2015

Heart Matters: Rules vs. Relationship

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But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7, NASB

 

Rules vs. Relationship

And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

Isaiah 29:13, NLT

countrychurchIt was Easter Sunday, 1994, when I went forward for salvation at my small country church as my Dad played Softly and Tenderly on the old, upright piano. I also remember the floral print, puffy-sleeved Easter dress I was wearing. Did I mention it was 1994?

I absolutely believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, but on that day I lacked an accurate understanding of the gospel. I had missed the part about grace and falsely believed I needed to earn or prove myself worthy of salvation.

Not knowing what to do next, I took matters into my own hands with the expected gusto of a typical, albeit misguided, Type A Personality, and jumped into Christianity with both feet. I was NOT going to mess this up! Jesus died for me, and I planned to prove myself worthy!

I promptly threw away my favorite Salt-n-Pepa CD, vowed I would never utter another curse word, and I read the book of Revelation in my rose-colored King James Version Bible. All that same afternoon.

You want to know what happened? I ran out of steam. I backslid. In record time, actually. The Book of Revelation overwhelmed me, and honestly, at that time it scared me. I couldn’t just snap my fingers and stop cursing and I really missed my CD. I was buried under the enemy’s condemnation at how quickly I could mess this thing up, thus leading to a decade long journey as a prodigal.

Hindsight is 20/20 and while many factors led to this particular series of events, my heart was at the root. My heart was seeking to be worthy of the gospel, but I had missed the point that I was worthy because of the gospel. Focusing on outward obedience to prove myself worthy, my actions proved useless because my heart was empty.

I had rules but no relationship.

Maybe you have been there yourself, or maybe that is where you find yourself today. Maybe you’re striving in order to earn His love, favor, or salvation? Friend, there is no checklist that we can keep, no sacrifice we can give, no deeds we can do, and no rituals we can perform that will make us worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Not a single one of us are worthy of His love, yet He loves us anyway!

I pray today that if that’s where you find yourself, you wouldn’t stay there a minute longer. Seek Him, pour your heart out, and pray for a relationship with the One who made you.

Resting in relationship,

Traci

Heart Matters: A Sincere Heart

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But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7, NASB

 

A Sincere Heart

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 6:6, NLT

broken-heartAn apology was definitely in order, and I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I heard the words, I’m sorry. What had started as a minor disagreement between two of my sons over the proper way to build a fort with couch cushions had quickly escalated into something more: a shouting match with insults being hurled at one another. One brother was quick to see his faulty behavior and offered a sincere apology, but the other one not so much. In fact, he flat out refused. Out of frustration, “You will sit on that couch until you say ‘You’re sorry!’” came out of my mouth. With his eyes fixed on the floor, his lips pursed, and his voice hushed, he gave his brother the apology I had demanded, and he bounced off the couch and back up the stairs.

Sure, he had done what I had told him to do. He had fulfilled the requirement and he had moved on. But void of any emotion, I was hardly satisfied with the apology. I wanted him to realize his faulty choices. I wanted more than outward obedience: I wanted inward change. I wanted to see a sincere heart.

As I watched him bound up the steps, feeling proud of himself that he had fulfilled his “requirement,” I felt conviction stirring in my soul. I, too, am guilty of this same behavior with God: I pat myself on the back after putting a check mark on my spiritual to-do list and then bound off to get on with my day.

Prayer? Check.

Bible study? Check.

Church on Sunday? Check.

Offering in the plate? Check.

The spiritual to-do list could go on and on, but God doesn’t want mere outward obedience: He wants our hearts. Empty actions borne of an empty heart are not pleasing to Him, nor do they accomplish anything. Just as I wanted the apology to come from a sincere heart, He wants our actions to come from a place of sincerity as well, not from obligation, duty, or guilt.

If today you’re finding your spiritual life is leaning more toward obligation than worship, it’s OK. We’ve all been there, but we should desire something far greater: a heart that loves and adores our Creator.

Today, let’s take the time to seek Him through prayer and reading His word. Let’s confess our faulty attitude, and ask Him to replace those feelings with the love and adoration He desires and deserves.

Amazed by His grace,

Traci

Heart Matters: A Check-Up

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But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7, NASB

 

A Check-Up

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

Psalm 139:23-24, NLT

file1361301586907As both a new bride and a relatively new believer, my husband and I attended a Nearly/Newlywed class at our church. One Sunday morning, our teacher asked us to think about some recent conflicts with our spouse, confess our fault in the conflict, and seek forgiveness from both our spouse and from God. Recalling a conflict was the easy part because we had a few to choose from, but the hard part was admitting that I was in any way responsible for said conflict because I always believed it was his fault. The end.

Do you think I struggled with pride? Bless his heart.

Clearly, this wasn’t our teacher’s first barbecue, and he could read my body language like a book. He gently reminded our class (or maybe just me) to ask the Lord to search our hearts if we weren’t coming up with something right away because we most likely had some unconfessed sin in how we related to our spouse. I did so hesitantly because did I mention that it I was always right? However, within moments of giving the Lord access to my heart, conviction from the Holy Spirit flooded my soul as I realized there was SO MUCH sin in my heart.

I had believed the lie that since I didn’t lie, cheat, steal, or kill people that I was OK. I was a good person!

I had become comfortable with the pride, selfishness, and disrespect that had taken up residence in my heart, and the constant companion of unforgiveness had gone completely unnoticed.

Few people would disagree with the benefits of a regular physical exam by our doctor, but what about a regular heart check with the Great Physician who not only knows our hearts, but created them?

Maybe today you see no danger in harboring a “little” sin that has become a constant companion, but in the eyes of our Holy God, sin is sin and must be dealt with.

Today is a great day for a spiritual check-up. Will you allow Him to search your heart?

Amazed by His grace,

Traci