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Weekly Wisdom Winnows
by Lisa Mendenhall
Have you had a heart attack lately? You know one of those attacks on your heart-the place your deep emotions live? The place where your commitment lives? The place where your motives (why you do what you do?) takes up residence? The place that inspires you on what you do in your everyday life?
When you have an attack on your heart it calls into question your very character and integrity. I had such an attack the other day. I was cruising along minding my own business when all of the sudden I had this thought, WHY am I studying the Word? My motives were coming into question. So I started thinking about this. Now the following is my conversation with my heart;
Heart - Why are you studying?
Me - So I can have intimacy with God.
Heart - So you are doing it because you have a deep desire to know God?
Me - Well...uh...I don't feel very good coming into His presence if I haven't studied.
Heart - So, you are studying to fell "justified" about coming into His presence?
Me - Well....Yes, I guess you could say that.
Heart - Is that the right motive for seeking Him?
Me - Well no, I guess not. I should be studying to learn about a close relationship with God, not to earn a closer relationship.
Okay, what just happened? The motive of my heart was exposed. The glow of Jesus Christ was shedding light in dark places in my heart and bringing to light something that needed changing. The bottom line was self-motivation. Making me feel better about approaching His throne. On the merits of my works and not on the Blood of Jesus.
This is why it is so important to keep a check on the motives of our heart. We slip off into a works mode of operation and do not even realize it. You must come to the throne of God by faith in the cleansing Blood of Jesus and not by faith in what you can do. God's light and life demands holiness, purity and a transparent heart. Now I am saying a pure heart not a perfect heart. You cannot fool God. You are a transparent human to Him anyway. But we need to be transparent with ourselves before Him. He knows the truth. It is when we allow Him to shed light on the truth of the intent of our hearts and then allow Him to help us change, that we are moved from glory to glory.
Have you ever noticed the more you walk a holy life (letting sin out and more of God's light and life in)- the more you walk in a close intimate relationship with the Father?
Are you a serious disciple of Christ? Then you will allow Him the right to bring you into the operating room of God and give Him total authority to operate on your heart and make you more like Him in the motives of your heart. So your true desire can be to learn the word and do things for Him and others for the right reasons. This is walking from Glory to Glory!
Rate it:
'To separate the chaff from (grain) by means of a current of air. To rid of undesirable parts. To separate or get rid of (an undesirable part); eliminate: winnowing out the errors in logic. ...separate grain from chaff...separate the good from the bad...examine closely in order to separate the good from the bad; sift...' (www.dictionary.com) 'This study gave me direction and focus for my teaching. God had placed a longing in my heart to teach the body of Christ how to separate from carnal thinking and rid themselves of old ways that hinder their Spiritual growth. I desire to see them live victoriously, by the 'higher ways' of God's wisdom.'
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