God Looks at the Heart

I discovered in April of 1998 that God is lot like a gemologist.  A gemologist is someone who determines the value of fine gems.  In 1998 I was particularly interested in finding a gemologist who specialized in diamond engagement rings.  In searching for a gemologist, I quickly discovered that three things are important in determining the worth of a diamond:  color, cut, and clarity.  Each of these qualities contribute to the value and beauty of a diamond but are indiscernible to the naked eye.  I chose a gemologist who was able to place a diamond under a microscope and project it onto a jumbo television screen where I could see for myself the hidden beauty inside the diamond.  At the conclusion of my search I found a perfect diamond engagement ring for a perfect lady!

In the same way that a gemologist meticulously looks at what is within a diamond, God looks at us in the hidden spiritual place of our HEART to determine WHO WE ARE!  When God looks at you and me, He is looking deep into our hearts.  What specifically is God looking at when He looks into our heart?  Let’s look at three biblical characters that reveal a little about how God determines what is in our hearts . . .

God is looking beyond our EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTICS (1 Sam. 16:1-13) – When God sent Samuel to find a king to replace Saul, He sent him to the house of Jesse.  God instructed Samuel NOT to choose one of his sons based on his “appearance” or the “height of his stature”.  We tend to evaluate others or our own value or worth based on external characteristics like personality, good looks, clothing, abilities, education, money, or any number of other external features.  Although this is how we might determines someone else’s value or worth or how we might determine our own value or worth, that is not how God determines our value or worth . . . He looks at the heart!

God is looking at our PLANS and THOUGHTS (1 Chron. 28:1-10) – Can you imagine if after every word and action of our life a neon sign flashed above our head revealing your inner plans and thoughts (motives)?  We might say with our mouth, “mom/dad, I’m going over to a friend’s house to study” while in our heart we’re thinking about the guy or girl we like who’s going to be at our friend’s house too.  Our words and actions can be very different from our inner plans and thoughts.  Our inner motives are as visible to God as a neon sign blinking above our heads.  God is not as concerned about “what” we do as much as He is concerned about “why” we do it.  God looks at the motivation underneath what we say and do, He sees deeply into who we are and knows what we are really about.

God is looking at whether or not we are RELYING ENTIRELY on Him (2 Chron. 14:4, 9-12, 16:1-9) – Two different battles, two different outcomes.  Why was King Asa able to defeat the Ethiopian army of 1 million soldiers and 300 chariots and the Syrian army was able to escape?  Very simple, against the Ethiopian army King Asa, “relied on God”, but against the Syrian army King Asa, “did not rely on the Lord (his) God.”  God is looking to provide and protect for all those whose hearts are entirely, completely, 100% dependent on Him!  If in our hearts we are relying on our own strength or ability to accomplish something then God will allow us to function using our own limited human effort.  But if in our hearts we are relying on God’s strength and ability then we have access to His unlimited divine power and He will fight for us.

CONCLUSION
Hebrews 4:12-13 says, “the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”   The fact that God looks into our heart in essence means that He knows EVERYTHING about us and who we are.  This can be a comforting reality or it may be a terrifying reality.  We are all accountable to God, not just for our actions, but for what we think no one can see that is hidden in our hearts.  What does God see when He looks into your heart!?!

The Heart God Desires

A car engine is designed to run on gasoline.  If we put anything other than gasoline in the engine it’s not going to work the way it was designed.  If we put water, or vegetable oil, or kool-aid, or anything else in the gas tank of our car, it’s not going to run right or will be permanently damaged.  If a car is going to run correctly, we must put in the fuel that the original creator designed.  No one would purposely put something into the gas tank of a car knowing that it was designed to run on gasoline.

God CREATED our hearts and He knows exactly how they are DESIGNED to WORK!  When there are things in our hearts that God did not design to be there our lives will not run right.  No one wants a broke down, sputtering, life!  And yet, many of us don’t know or are unwilling to fill our hearts with the “fuel” God designed in order to make our lives work.  Experiencing a fulfilling life requires having the right things in our heart.  What did God design to be in be in our hearts?

In the book of Deuteronomy God speaks through Moses to communicate to the people of Israel the heart He desires (Deut 4:1-9).  Throughout the book of Deuteronomy God has several important things to say about the heart of man and makes His people aware of His original design for the heart . . .

God desires a heart that SEEKS for Him (Dt. 4:25-29) – God knew His people would forget Him and serve gods of wood and stone, made by the work of human hands.  God knows that it is our nature to fill our hearts with idolatrous things He did not design or desire to be there.  We all “act corruptly” and “do what is evil in the sight of the Lord”.  It is “from there”, a place of sin, rebellion, and forgetting God, that we are to “seek” the Lord and “search” after Him with all our hearts.  A sin filled and rebellious heart that seeks God will find Him and God will remember His covenant to humanity and grant mercy and withhold the punishment we deserve.  The very first step toward a heart God desires is seeking Him in the midst of our sin and rebellion.

God desires a heart that KNOWS Him and LOVES Him (Dt. 4:39, 6:5, 30:6) – Here we find two important things about God’s design for the heart.  First, we are to “know” in our heart that God is the one and only God and there is NO other (Dt. 5:7-8).  God is not one among other good options.  We are to be convinced that there is only one true God and the God of the Bible is Him.  There are no substitutes, no equals, no others!  Second, with every nook and cranny of our heart we are to “love” Him.  The word love here means to have a “great affection for”, a “strong emotional attachment”, or a “desire to be in the physical presence”.  At the very center of who we are, we are to have stronger longing for God and loyalty to God than for anyone or anything else.

God desires a heart that KNOWS and LIVES by His COMMANDS (Dt. 5:29, 6:6, 11:18, 26:16, 30:10, 14, 32:46) – At the beginning of the year, most teachers design a list of standards and expectations for their classroom.  These rules are designed specifically to make the class run smoothly and disobeying the rules results in chaos and consequences.  God established the standards and expectations for life that we are to be obedient to and live by.  In John 14:15 Jesus said to His disciples, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments (Jn. 14:21-23, 1 Jn. 2:3, 5:1-5).”  It’s pretty clear that God’s love language is obedience.  We display our love for God by learning the things that He has commands and do them.

CONCLUSION
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 summarizes the heart God desires, “What does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good?”  Did you catch it?  Our hearts were designed to be filled with these things for OUR GOOD!  The things that God designed and desires to be in our hearts are the very things that produce a meaningful, purposeful, and enjoyable life.  If we are not putting these things in our heart, most likely, our life is not running smoothly or it has been permanently damaged.