Thursday, October 19, 2006
1 John 3:19-20 We will know by this that we are of the truth, and will assure our heart before Him in whatever our heart condemns us; for God is greater than our heart and knows all things.
GOD'S GRACE IS GREATER THAN THE SINNER'S HEART
When someone is faced with a difficult decision, sometimes a well meaning person will offer this advice: "Just listen to your heart."
While this advice sounds wise, it's not all that helpful. Our hearts have been corrupted by sin and don't always serve us well. Our hearts may tell us that something is wrong when it's right. Our hearts may tell us that something is right when it's wrong. Our inner voice dare not be our only source for guidance in life.
When a Christian sins, the heart sounds the alarm, "Hey that's wrong!" and then pronounces judgment, "You're going to hell for that!" In other words, ". . . our heart condemns us." But there is a solution to the condemning heart. God says, "Dear Christian, DON'T listen to your heart. Listen to your God."
And what does God say? "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26). God does NOT say, "You can be my children when you've been good enough." God does NOT say, "You can be my children when you don't sin anymore." God says we are His through faith in His Son.
So, when your heart brings out a catalog of sins, you can tell your heart, "Yes, heart, I know all about these sins, and here are a few more you've forgotten." You can tell your heart, "Heart, God Himself knows about the sins I've committed, because His Son paid the price for each and every one of them on the cross." When your heart condemns you, remember Jesus' words: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life" (John 5:24).
