Some time ago, I attended a ladies tea party hosted by one of the women
in our church and was asked to give a devotional on the heart. We also
heard another one of our ladies speak on the home, and lastly our hostess
spoke on hospitality. It was a wonderful time of fellowship set in the
charming atmosphere of her lovely home. As we near Valentine's Day, I
thought I would share with you what I taught on the heart....
The Bible says in Proverbs 4:23, "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for
out of it are the issues of life."
Before you and I can become good HOUSE keepers, we must first be good
HEART keepers, amen? For out of your heart and mine flows every issue
of life, INCLUDING house-keeping....
In Colossians 3:23 the Bible tells us, "And whatsoever ye do, do it HEARTILY,
as unto the Lord, and not unto men;"
Ladies, the Lord desires that our hearts be involved in ALL that we do
- not just our heads and hands! That goes for house-keeping as well....
The Lord has shown us here that His "house-work" in our lives is done
from the inside out, and so we must follow His pattern....
1 Tim. 1:16, "Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first
Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, FOR A PATTERN to them
which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting."
Without a doubt, all of us enjoyed visiting the home of our hostess that
day of the tea party. It's always fun to visit one another's homes, isn't
it? It's fun to see the different styles and choices each lady chooses
with which to decorate her home; the colors, the furniture, the pictures,
the atmosphere that she has created, the fragrances that linger in the
air, the organization that is evident (or not!), the cleanliness etc.
As the entertaining hostess, you enjoy hearing all the "oohs" and "aahs"
of the ladies as they receive the "grand tour" of your home. But what
if, after the tour of your home was finished, it was time to take each
lady on a tour of your heart?? Would there be as many "oohs" and "aahs"
then? During their tour of your heart would you hear expressions such
as, "EEEWW!", or "Uh-Ohhh", or "Oh My!", or "Yuck!", as they were able
to view openly it's contents? Just what kind of a "heart-keeper" are you,
dear lady? God says we are to be diligent....
When I think of our house-keeping duties I think of the major ones such
as cleansing, straightening, organizing, dusting/polishing, the atmosphere
of the home and of course, the finishing touch that decorations bring.
I want you to consider though, that those very same areas need tending
to in our hearts as well as in our homes.....
~CLEANSING~
Psalm 51:10 says, "Create in me a clean heart O God...."
We first need the blood of Christ to cleanse us from our sins, as we call
upon His name for salvation- a "soul scrubbing", amen? We then need to
keep our hearts clean by regular confession of our sins.
John 15:3 says, "Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken
unto you."
The other way we clean our hearts and keep them clean, is through regular
attendance upon Bible reading and studying of God's Word. To ignore either
of these heart duties is to allow the dirt - the sin - to build up and
harden your heart. Oh, what a mess you will have on your hands then!
~STRAIGHTENING~
Proverbs 3: 5 & 6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and
He shall direct thy paths."
We need to straighten our hearts out with trust! Trust in the Lord - not
in our OWN understanding! When we trust in our own understanding our hearts
and minds become messy with worry, anxiety, fear, doubt. How much of our
heart needs to be involved in this trust process? That verse above says
ALL of it! Is ALL of your heart trusting in the Lord today, dear lady?
If not, you better get those issues straightened out.... Don't leave things
messy!
~ORGANIZING~
We need to organize our the thoughts of our hearts and minds with scripture.
Phillipians 4:8 is God's plan for organizing our minds, "Finally, brethren,
whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things
are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any
praise, think on these things." I remember a devotion I gave to the ladies
years ago when I made this particular lesson a visual. Here is what I
did... Get yourself some filing folders and label each one as God has
already done for us in this verse: True, Honest, Just, Pure, Lovely, Good
Report, Virtue, Praise. Now that your file-folders are labeled, take each
thought that you have throughout the day that pops into your head and
write it down on a piece of paper. At the end of the day, file all your
thoughts into each one of God's folders labeled for thinking. If your
thoughts can't fit into one of these healthy categories, throw them out!!!
2 Cor. 10:5, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth
itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ.." This is the way to organize our
minds with scripture! There is no need for psychology when we follow God's
organization plan for our thoughts.... I challenge you to try this project
one day. I'm confident you'll be surprised how full your garbage can would
be of things you shouldn't be thinking!!
~DUSTING~
As women, we at times can become easily disappointed - in our husbands,
in our children, and even in ourselves. We need to dust away our disappointments
with faith and forgiveness. Faith is a shield, a shield that protects
our hearts from those darts of disappointment that life can bring. That
faith needs to dwell within our hearts richly....
Romans 14:22 says, "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God."
Does the Lord see faith in your heart today, dear lady? A faith that rests
in Him? Or has there been some dust that has accumulated....
Acts 15:9 says, ".....purifying their hearts by faith."
Faith keeps that dust of disappointment from settling in and whisks it
all away! Faith without works is dead the Bible says. Therefore, our faith
needs to be found alive and coupled with forgiveness. Forgiveness directed
toward those who have disappointed us.... Matthew 18:23-35 is a sober
reminder of our duty to forgive those individuals who have let us down.
It is also a warning toward those who are not willing to dust away the
disappointments in their hearts with forgiveness! For the sake of space,
read through that portion of scripture first and then look with me specifically
at verse 26 where the Bible says, "Lord, have patience with me, and I
will pay thee all." This is typically how you and I approach the Lord
in prayer when we know we have disappointed Him by our sinning. We beg
Him to be patient with us when we fail, don't we? And yet, what happens
after we receive that complete forgiveness the Lord grants us that we
so fully enjoy? Do we then extend it to others?? When your husband, your
children, your church family members etc. disappoint you, how do you react,
ladies? This is important here, so please pay attention to what I am going
to say.... In verses 32-33 we learn what happens to the one who will not
extend that same forgiveness they have received from the Lord - we learn
what God thinks and says about such behavior....
"Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even
as I had pity on thee?"
Then in verse 34-35 the Lord finishes by saying, "And his lord was wroth,
and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due
unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye
FROM YOUR HEARTS forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
Other people's trespasses are what sometimes make up part of our disappointments,
amen? If you do not regularly dust away those disappointments with faith
in God AND forgiveness of man, you will become tormented by them throughout
your whole life! Dust them away without delay!
~POLISHING~
Part of the cleaning process of our hearts is to polish proper attitudes.
These are attitudes that reflect the fruits of the Spirit as found in
Galatians 5:22 & 23 that we are all familiar with. Those attitudes that
once reigned in our hearts that have become covered with dust.... Attitudes
like humility, love and reverence! It seems like the attitude of reverencing
our husbands needs lots of regular polishing, amen wives? The dirt and
dust seems to fall quickly and heavily on this important attitude of our
hearts and we need to keep it polished, to be sure that it is shining
at all times! Perhaps as you consider this point, there are some attitudes
in your life today that need a hearty going over, good attitudes you USED
to have that have long lost their luster. As Psalm 51:10 puts it, ".....and
renew a right spirit within me." Renewing the right spirit is to polish
up the proper attitudes that God would desire to shine forth in our hearts!
Good "heart-keepers" see to it that proper attitudes are regularly polished
so the glory of God can always be seen!
~ATMOSPHERE~
Once your house is clean and orderly, there is a certain, special atmosphere
about it. You can then see more clearly what needs to be added and what
needs to be subtracted. So it is within our hearts.... As things become
organized and orderly within us, an atmosphere that God would have us
add to our hearts (and homes!) is that of cheerfulness!
Proverbs 15:13 says, "A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but
by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."
Do you know what the secret to a cheerful heart is? Contrary to popular
belief, it's not in always being able to do what you like - such as soak
in a hot tub, go for a long walk, take sewing classes, "shop till you
drop" without the kids, etc. No, the secret to a cheerful heart lies in
liking what you HAVE to do! Things like changing diapers, staying at home
with the children, making dinner every night even when tired, shopping
on a budget etc. This is what brings an atmosphere of cheerfulness into
your heart and home! Is this the atmosphere others would experience if
we took a tour of your heart today, dear lady? Or does the atmosphere
of bitterness and resentment hover over all you do....
An atmosphere that God would have us subtract from our hearts is the atmosphere
of covetousness. Hebrews 13:5 says, "Let your conversation be without
covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath
said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."
As I sat in the home of our hostess at the tea party that day, I found
myself "borrowing" her decorations mentally and taking them home with
me and decorating my house with some of them! Have you ever done that?
We sometimes covet the homes, the personalities, even the lifestyles of
others, and it brings a most unpleasant atmosphere to our hearts first...
We then begin to look around at our own lives with unthankful hearts -
what we have and where we are in life. Ladies, keep your hearts from becoming
covetous! Remember, it is not WHAT you have, but WHO you are.... The best
thing you can borrow is the mind of Christ, for it brings a peaceful atmosphere
into your home and all you do!
~DECORATIONS~
One of the things that our hostess did while we were gathered there, was
to explain the history behind the various pictures that hung on her wall,
assorted nik-naks, a particular table or chair, a flower arrangement,
assorted tea cups etc. that filled her home. Behind most of the items
dwelt a special meaning that prompted our hostess to share those informative
tidbits with us. It was in reality a story of her life and the path that
it had taken.... Somehow it gave us a greater glimpse of all the momentous
occasions that made her the person she was today. Just as you and I may
have our homes decorated with nostalgic items, so too the Lord would have
our hearts decorated with those particular scriptures that have held special
meaning to us over the course of our lives. Perhaps in your life there
are certain verses that have carried you through a difficult period of
time and become a part of you forever, combined together with other verses
to make up who you are in the Lord. When you share those specific scriptures
that are dear to you with others, they become the spiritual decorations
hanging on the walls of your heart. People get a clearer picture of the
path your life has taken and the God who hung each verse upon your heart
Himself and decorated your Spirit with His grace! It is a picture of your
heart and how well it has been kept....
In closing, I trust you ladies are diligently cleaning your houses every
week - but what about your hearts?? Today, before you carry out your house-keeping
duties, won't you take some time to consider the type of "heart-keeping"
duties you may have to do as well? Chances are if you're not a good house-keeper,
you're not a good heart-keeper! God says the heart is the control center
for ALL of life.... May He find you giving due diligence to keep yours
spotless.
God Bless,
Pam
Isaiah 60:1&2
Copyright 1999 Pamela A. Iannello
