Posted by Earlier this week, I talked about how our hearts are important to God. This is a really hard subject for me to talk about because it’s not tangible. It’s much easier for me to say “change your behavior” than it is to say “let God change your heart”. How about you?
What’s so incredible to me about God is that he has always been about the heart, even back in the Old Testament. Shocking, right?!
Most people, when we think of the Old Testament, think about the Ten Commandments which became a behavior modification program for the nation of Israel while they wandered about in the desert for decades. But it was intended to be so much more than that!
I don’t know about you, but I often think about the Ten Commandments as this list of rules to be followed in any particular order you want. But have you ever considered the fact that they’re in the order they’re in for a reason? What if one commandment builds upon the one that precedes it? What if God was strategic even in the order in which he relayed these to Moses?
“And God spoke all these words, saying,
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.
“You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:1-3 (ESV)
God made our hearts so he knows all about how they work. And he knows that whatever we worship is where our hearts go. Jesus even said it in Matthew 6 that our hearts follow what we treasure.
So, if God’s first commandment to his chosen people was for him to be their one and only God, he wasn’t after their behavior, he was after their hearts. He wasn’t demanding worship because he needs validation, but because he knows that’s what we were created to do. He wasn’t requiring obedience, he was extending an invitation for a relationship.
Since the beginning of time, God has been after our hearts. Through generations of disobedience and avoidance and apathy, he’s still continued to passionately pursue us. Though we’ve wavered over and over and over again, he hasn’t given up on us. Though we enjoy turning away from him and get easily distracted, we’re always on his mind.
I encourage you to spend some time with him today and just let him love you. Worship him in whatever way will help you connect with him best. Spend time worshiping him with your heart, knowing that the mind, soul, and strength follow. Let’s choose to see him as our treasure today.
To go Deeper: Read The State of the Heart, Above the Law
Work in Progress 
So true – He wants us to serve Him from a heart of love, not because we’re just following some rules. We wouldn’t want our loved ones to spend time with us out of duty but out of love! Same with God! Good post 😊
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Yes! When we begin to think of God as our Father and the fact that we’re part of his family then that changes how we interact with him!
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Great piece! I’ve noticed that on the days I feel too sick to pray, I’ll try to connect to Him someway else. Like watching videos about Him. Just little things so I don’t drift away.
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