“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.”
Isaiah 29:13
Why do you do what you do?
Even back in the OT (Old Testament) some of those that believed in God did only so through ritualistic ways. They participated in all the things they’d been taught to do, but never just sought after the heart of God.
Today, the same things occur. Some of the people that leave the faith as an adult, but were brought up in the church as a child, do so because they were only doing what they were being told to do. These children, now adults, never truly knew God’s heart, they just knew rules and regulations. And honestly, that’s not God.
God is all about the heart.
Remember David, touted as a man after God’s own heart? He made mistakes, but he owned up to the mistakes he made and sought after God. To those that just follow the rules God says, “Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 7:21. To do “His Will” you must first know “His Heart”.
His Heart says: love your neighbor, love you enemy, love those who don’t act like you or look like you, walk humbly with the Lord, seek to serve others and not to be served, speak kindly, hold your tongue, respect your leaders…..
You know what? I love rules. I find comfort in doing what I’ve been told to do. But the reason I pray every morning, read the Word of God, and spend time alone with God every single day, isn’t because someone told me to, it’s because I want to know and be known by God in a more intimate way. It’s because I love Jesus and when you love someone you want to know them more.
God has been there for me through every trial, He’s allowed me to see beauty in hard situations, He’s provided just what I need in every circumstance, and He sent His Son to die for me….all because He loves me and that’s why I love Him all the more. We love because He first loved us.
So as I lay my head down on my pillow at night, I literally wait expectantly, excitedly, for the morning to come so I can spend alone time with God. Sharing my heart with Him as He shares His heart with me. That’s why I do what I do.
Why do you do what you do? Where is your heart’s allegiance? Is it time to check your heart and make sure you are seeking Him and not just following the rules of man?
Running 2 Fly 