You Can Only Trust Your Heart Sometimes. Jeremiah 17:9.

Novelists wrestle with a constant struggle: how do you balance action with heart? Books and movies often open with car chases and gunfights, but it takes only a minute or two before audiences ask ‘Who am I supposed to root for? Why do I care about them? Who ARE these people?’ Action without heart feels pointless.  On the other hand, if a story opens with narration, or maybe someone drinking tea and writing in a journal, readers may lose interest—and no storyteller wants that. Good stories need both action and heart.

We talk more and more about the heart today. We make decisions differently. Few simply follow their father into a farming career. We have vocational schools, technical schools, and colleges.  We have aptitude tests and career counseling.  Where there were only three options for women of your grandmother’s generation (teacher, nurse, or secretary), today the number of choices available to both men and women seems nearly endless. So what is the best advice our culture offers a talented young person facing infinite possibilities?

FOLLOW YOUR HEART.

Everyone says it, right?  And it’s not bad advice.  Look inside yourself and ask questions: What do I enjoy? What do I dream of? What makes me feel alive? What have I loved for years and will I continue to love it for decades? Those are useful considerations. But sometimes God will surprise you in ways your heart could not have foreseen.

Christians should aim for something deeper than the heart. Don’t simply follow your heart.

FOLLOW YOUR LORD.

“The heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. Who can know it or understand it?” Jeremiah 17:9. 

I can tell you from years of experience that your heart can be dead wrong, and following your heart can lead to disaster. (Yes, God gives believers new hearts according to Ezekiel 36:26. But we still struggle with the flesh; we remain vulnerable to deception from our own desires and from the enemy of our souls—whose voice will ALWAYS sound exactly like your heart.)

There is a balance to things: you must not ignore your heart.  But there are greater considerations. 

When making a major decision, I would ask questions in this order:

1)What does scripture say?

2)What is the Holy Spirit saying to me?

3)What are wise Christians around me saying?

4)What does my heart say?

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EAT YOUR DINNER. Jeremiah 15:16.

How many times a day do you eat? How many meals and snacks? Do you open the refrigerator and stare into the cold, waiting for inspiration? At night, my children trail in and out of the kitchen, often leaving with a snack hidden in the upstage hand, not wishing to discuss that third popsicle.

Imagine being dropped into a world of hunters and gatherers. We would be hungry constantly! Maybe Americans eat too much, but we NEED to eat. God created us to eat.

Jeremiah compared God’s word to a pleasant meal:

“Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by Your name, Yahweh, God of Hosts” Jeremiah 15:16.

After fasting, Jesus quoted Moses when He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the Mouth of God” Matthew 4:4. God’s Word is better than food—strong words from a Man who had eaten NOTHING for forty days!

Americans get up every morning and put food in our stomachs—it’s our routine. Whether an elaborate meal or a three baby carrots and a half a muffin, we always eat. We NEED to eat. We need strength, nourishment, energy. We MUST restore nutrients or end up sick. EATING IS ESSENTIAL.

God’s word is also essential. Are you eating the word?

Are you consuming a steady diet of scripture? Is it part of your DAILY routine, or do you leave it for Sundays? Imagine if you only ate food one day a week!

Your soul requires daily nourishment like your body requires daily nourishment. Without the word, you will be spiritually sick. In fact, missing the word may be MORE harmful than missing meals.

God, remind us to CONSUME YOUR WORD. Help us to make it part of our DAILY ROUTINE, to take as much care for our souls as we do for our stomachs.

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COME TO THE FEAST! Jeremiah 15:16.

We know hunger and thirst. Most Americans do not know hunger the way the world’s truly poor know it. But everyone has been hungry. Can you remember the last time? Can you remember the satisfaction of finally eating?

Bible readers over the centuries have known hunger well, living through wars and famines, and in deserts and barren wastelands or icy tundra where food was scarce. So Jeremiah crafts a perfect metaphor:

“When I found Your words, I devoured them, and they became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, because I bear Your name, Oh God of the Angel Armies!” Jeremiah 15:16.

To what does Jeremiah compare Bible reading? Eating.

And why does Bible reading bring him so much joy? Because he bears God’s name.

Like Jeremiah, we bear the name of the God who is the Commander of the Angel Armies. We are officers in God’s army. And when we consume His word, it brings us deep joy because it reminds us of His love and forgiveness, and of our purpose and eternal destiny.

Have you experienced that joy? Have you ever read the Word and realized how much joy it was bringing you? Even when we are not aware of it, spending time in God’s Word fills our hearts with peace and joy.

If you have fear, anxiety, or stress, read your Bible. Read the Gospels, or one of Paul’s letters to the churches. After a few minutes, your anxiety will lift and you will feel peace. And if you spend more time—if you FILL UP on the Word, if you FEAST on the Word, it will fill your heart with JOY.

We eat every day. There are six billion people around the world, and every one of them tries to eat every day. Most eat two, three, or more times a day. Why do we think we can go days, weeks even, without FEEDING OUR SOULS the Word of God?

Feast on the Word. It will fill you with PEACE and JOY.

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Feed Yourself the Word of God: Eat Every Day. Jeremiah 15:16

Are you consuming the Word of God? Ask yourself—are you feeding your spirit, or letting it starve? You have to eat every day.

Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart, for I am called by your name. Jeremiah 15:16.

Key verse of the day.

So when was the last time you feasted on the Word? Don’t let yourself starve.

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Fastened at the Waist. Jeremiah 13:11.

Christians discuss circumcision and giggle. We read that “testify” comes from “testicle” because of the practice of swearing on the loins, as when Abraham told his servant to “place your hand under my thigh and swear,” Genesis 24:9—and again we giggle. Our understanding is so OVERWHELMED by the sexualization of our culture, we are unable to think with purity when we think about human anatomy. (Was God’s mind less than holy when He created men? No. The problem lies with us.)

Then God tells Jeremiah to fashion a linen undergarment. It’s not supposed to be awkward (although you must consider your audience—this is no lesson for junior high).

“Just as underwear clings to one’s waist, so I fastened the whole house of Israel to Me—this is the Lord’s declaration—so that they might be My people for My fame, praise, and glory, but they would not obey” Jeremiah 13:11.

What amazing intimacy: The GOD WHO MADE YOU fastens you to His waist (and we snicker like idiots).

Think of it this way:

God looks at women and says ‘you will bear children.’

And He looks at men and says ‘you will father children. Here’s a device that will allow you to generate life. Be CAREFUL with it. We will mount it in the one spot that is the easiest to defend. And we will make it super-sensitive to injury—so you will never forget to protect it. And because you can create life, you have something in common with Me.

But that life-giving device is really important. You will protect it, swear by it, and scar it to symbolize that you are MINE, and that you understand YOUR POWER TO GIVE LIFE COMES FROM ME. Don’t let the enemy pervert it into something weird. It’s not weird:

Circumcision is a scar that says that you understand that the power to give life comes from the God who gives life.

God, deliver us from the sex-crazed, adolescent culture that cannot speak or think intelligently about anatomy. Thank you that you FASTEN US TO YOUR WAIST.

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How Can We Know Anything About God? Jeremiah 15:16.

Today I found myself engaged in an online conversation about particle physics.  My friend Jim wrote that 99% of matter is nothing, and because God is everywhere, God is 99% nothing. 

First, I attempted to correct his physics—because though space is mostly nothingness, matter itself is never nothing.  But I’ve had discussions like this with Jim before and he tends to read my comments in a rush and often misses the point.  So instead of arguing physics, I tried to explain analogies.  Jim was using data from science to draw an analogy to theology. And even if he had been correct on the physics, it’s a big leap to use “facts” about space to draw conclusions about the nature of God.  You risk committing the fallacy of the false analogy.

A false analogy says that because two things have one thing in common, they must have other things in common.  For example, “Apples, strawberries, and raspberries are all red, and they are all fruits. Therefore, all fruit must be red.” 

In Jim’s case, he created a false analogy when he assumed God and the universe have multiple traits in common: Jim argued, in effect, that “God is everywhere, and the universe is everywhere. And because the universe is mostly nothingness, therefore God is mostly nothingness.” But this is a false analogy.

I wanted Jim to recognize that no subject is more critical to human life than the question of the nature and existence of God.  That is, if God is real, nothing matters more than knowing the truth about him and his opinion of us.  And because the topic is so important, we should do all that we can to ensure that our thinking is as logical as possible.  When it comes to knowing the truth about God, we need to get things right!

And that brings us to the scriptures.

God KNOWS how important it is for His people to know Him, and to believe the right things about Him and to make the right decisions about following Him. God also knows how easy it is for us to get it wrong, for people like Jim to read one article online about physics—misunderstand the article—and draw conclusions about the God of the universe based on that misunderstanding. That’s human nature: we misunderstand and immediately jump to the wrong conclusions. That is the risk when you reason from analogy. But that is why God gave us His WORD!  We don’t have to reason from analogy. We don’t have to be experts in science—or any other field.  We simply have to read the Bible.  

“All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness” 2 Timothy 3:16.

The Bible has the answers we need.  And when you read it–when you consume it–it will fill you with joy:

“Your words were found and I ate them. Your words became a delight to me and the joy of my heart” Jeremiah 15:16.

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Never Say Never. Jeremiah 10:23.

Conversations about the future often end with the cliché: Never say ‘never.’ It’s true: you never know what is going to happen. Sometimes things go exactly as planned; often they do not. God has a way of interrupting our plans. Never say ‘never.’

During my childhood a few things were clear: I could not sit still, I was good at reading and writing, I loved adventure and had a flair for creative projects, but no patience for anything I considered dull or overly structured. I had no self-discipline, especially for things like long division. As I was finishing college many years later, I briefly considered going to law school. I had skills that might make me good at some aspects of the law, but it all seemed dull and overly structured.  It was the LAW, after all—an entire field dedicated to RULES and structure (so much STRUCTURE!). For example, every judge has his own Local Rules and every pleading filed in his courtroom better comply, right down to the size 13 font.

So I dismissed the notion. I was never going to law school. (Contrary to the cliche, I said ‘never.’) But eight years later, God called me to do just that. And everything I thought about it proved true—I was good at the things I expected to be good at, and struggled with the things with which I expected to struggle. Yet, God had a plan–and it makes a bit more sense looking back so many years later.

“I know, Lord, that a man’s way is not his own. No one who walks determines his own steps” Jeremiah 10:23.

God directs our steps. If you are following Jesus, be ready: He may surprise you! Things you think will never happen, may happen.  Consider some other translations of Jeremiah 10:23:

“I know, God, that mere mortals can’t run their own lives, that men and women don’t have what it takes to take charge of a life.”

“I know it is not within the power of man to map his life and plan his course.”

“I know our lives are in Your hands. It is not in us to direct our own steps—we need You.”

ONLY GOD CAN PLAN YOUR LIFE.

“Trust in the Lord with all thy heart. Lean not on thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths” Proverbs 3:5-6.

Let Jesus take the wheel in all your decisions: trust God–and never say ‘never.’

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“The Love of My Life” Jeremiah 12:7-8; 9:23-24.

Don’t boast about achievements, which don’t last. Instead, brag about this: God calls you the love of his life.

I never expected to see that in the Bible. But I saw it this morning: “the love of My life.” In Jeremiah 12, God announces judgment on Israel. Yet even as He punishes, He reaffirms His abiding love.

“I have given THE LOVE OF MY LIFE into the hands of her enemies. My child has acted toward Me like a lion in the forest. She has roared against Me” 12:7-8.

Have you ever seen a child rebel—truly rebel, with the nastiest, angriest voice and manner? I think of that when the Bible says “My child has acted … like a lion in the forest; she has roared against Me.” Can you roar against God? Could you be that rebellious? The people of Israel could.

And if you were God, could you forgive rebellion like the roaring of a lion? Some evils only God can forgive:

“I will … have compassion on them… If they will diligently learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name…, they will be built up among My people.” Jeremiah 12:16.

God can forgive because His people are THE LOVE HIS LIFE.

What an incredible phrase. Instead of behaving like a proud lion (whose power is temporary), we should behave with pride in knowing that God loves us with a love that is permanent and infinite.

I wish every celebrity, athlete, and entertainer would memorize and follow these rules:

“The wise man MUST NOT BOAST in his wisdom;

The strong man MUST NOT BOAST in his strength;

The wealthy man MUST NOT BOAST in his wealth;

But THE ONE WHO BOASTS SHOULD BOAST IN THIS:

THAT HE UNDERSTANDS AND KNOWS ME—

That I am Yahweh, showing faithful love,

Justice, and righteousness on the earth,

For I delight in these things.”

Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Boast in Him—that YOU are the love of His life! Start by telling Him that—and then tell yourself.

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WHAT DO YOU BRAG ABOUT? Jeremiah 9:23-24.

What have you bragged about lately? I know we’re polite people who don’t brag (out loud). But what do you daydream about in the car when no one else can hear you? What does your heart want to brag about in those moments? Think back and see what you find….

They say that everyone worships, that even the atheist puts something on the throne of his heart. We are made to worship. Hit songs indicate many of us worship romance. Others worship achievements or strength or intelligence or wealth or health or beauty or power or physical fitness—everyone worships SOMETHING. If you’re not sure what, maybe you are simply a worshiper of SELF. Lots of people are. (I’ll let you in on a secret: I am most vulnerable to the temptation to worship achievements. I like to reach GOALS.)

Bragging is connected to worship. The thing you boast about may be the thing you worship. Be sure it’s the right thing. If your treasure is something temporary, what will you do when it is gone?

“This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise boast of their wisdom, nor the strong boast of their strength, nor the rich boast of their riches, but let him who boasts boast in this—that he understands and knows ME, that I am the Lord, showing kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these things I delight’” Jeremiah 9:23-24.

Paul shortens it: “As it is written, ‘Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord’” 1 Corinthians 1:31. He repeats it in another letter: “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” 2 Corinthians 10:17.

Paul was an incredible achiever. His resume and education are among the best recorded in scripture—and he wrote 13 books of the Bible (more than anyone else—14 if you count the book of Hebrews, whose authorship is officially unknown).

Paul recounts his STAGGERING accomplishments, achievements that humble the rest of us. And then he says he considers it all rubbish, “compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus, my Lord” Philippians 3:8. Nothing compares to knowing Christ.

God, train our hearts to boast in YOU, to be thrilled by YOU, to worship YOU.

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PRAYING THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A BROKEN HEART. Jeremiah 8:21-9:1.

Could you ask God to break your heart? Sounds crazy, right? But if your heart breaks for the right reasons, the suffering will produce incredible results.

The Baptist preacher Bob Pierce wrote in his Bible, “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

Pierce regularly prayed these words so that his heart would be broken for hurting children. In 1950, he founded World Vision, and in 1970, he founded Samaritan’s Purse—two global organizations that have accomplished great things for children the world over. Operating from a broken heart, Pierce made a difference.

I heard this prayer years ago and since then have also prayed “break my heart with the things that break the heart of God” (though I can’t claim to have prayed it regularly). Still, I want to be broken over the things that break God’s heart. Shouldn’t my emotions and motivations should match those of the God who lives in my heart?

Jeremiah is called “the Weeping Prophet,” because his heart was broken for Israel.

“I am broken by the brokenness of my dear people. I mourn. Horror has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead?… If my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people” 8:21-9:1.

Jeremiah’s heart was broken for Israel—and his life made a difference. The Apostle Paul’s heart was similarly broken: “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart for my people” Romans 9:2-3. Jesus, too, had a broken heart. “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it” Luke 19:41. He said, “Jerusalem, Jerusalem… How often have I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling” Matthew 23:37.

Jeremiah, Paul, Jesus, Bob Pierce—God uses people with broken hearts.

God, break my heart with the things that break the heart of God.

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