following your heart
As I was working through Jeremiah, I came across this verse:
Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
Looking up the word “heart” in the Book of Matthew alone, I found these verses, every one of which contains a quotation of Jesus Himself:
Matthew 5:8
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Matthew 9:4
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?
The following verse reminds me of the taming of the tongue discussed in James 3:3-10:
Matthew 12:34
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
The following two verses are particularly interesting to me. They shows how a heart can be hardened, which is described in more detail in Romans 1:20-25:
Matthew 13:15
For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them.’
Matthew 13:19
When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path.
Matthew 15:8
‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
Matthew 15:18-19
But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.
Matthew 18:35
“This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart.”
Matthew 19:8
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
And here is the greatest commandment. It’s noteworthy how we are supposed to use our God-given brains as well as our transformed hearts.
Matthew 22:37
Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
The following verses indicate describe how we are given a “heart transplant” through the Holy Spirit - through no effort of our own.
Romans 5:5
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Romans 10:9-10
That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 8:16
I thank God, who put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you.
Galatians 4:6
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.”
Ephesians 3:16-18
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
Philippians 4:7
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
Colossians 3:15
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.
1 Thessalonians 3:13
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.
And the list goes on and on…
It is definitely something to pray about - that God will both guard my heart and continue to transform it. Amen.