Written on My Heart

by | Oct 4, 2012 | Uncategorized | 4 comments

Once upon a time, I was a fair weather Christian.  I went to church occasionally, felt guilty when I sinned and prayed when I needed something.  Basically, I used God as a magician to make life easy and to get a ticket into heaven.

And once in a while, I prayed a simple prayer:   God, please draw me closer to you.

I have no clue why I prayed that particular sentence, nor do I know when my life changed.  But it most certainly did.

Somewhere between the birth of my two boys and the death of my two dads, I began to transform.

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

Astonishingly, God did draw me closer to Him and He began to write on my heart.

What did God write?

  • You are loved.
  • You are forgiven.
  • You are mine. 

These three sentences have given my life the meaning it never had before God’s calling.

Don’t get me wrong, I continue to struggle with sin (more than I’d like to admit).  However, I wake up daily knowing who CREATED the day and wanting HIM to be a part of it.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 1Timothy 1:5

Surprisingly, the more I pray, read scripture and listen (don’t do enough of the listening portion) – the more I WANT TO do those things that place God above all.  Seems strange, but SO true.

I am far from perfect, but God is writing on my heart and I love every minute of it!  He’s convicting me to stay on course when I stray from His commands and to keep trying even when I want to give up and give in to sin.

I am learning.  I am better.  And, I am a work in progress.

I hope you will allow God to write on your heart, too.

Some Wisdom for Today:  Proverbs 4:23 – Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

4 Comments

  1. Heidi

    Thank you for always posting things that I need at the right time!!!:) This one and Tuesdays!

    Reply
    • Dale Martin

      We are all works in progress until the day we get to go Home.

      Reply
  2. Kelly

    When we were in school, “learning” something meant studying and then barfing that information into a test, then wiping the slate clean so we could “learn” some more. This is not the way we learn about God. Retaining what we learn and then applying it to our lives is what scripture tells us to do.

    At class last night, the Pastor said something interesting. Seek God…not the answer. So, I went to bible gateway and searched on the meaning of “seeking God”. I found the following: ( cut and pasted)

    Seeking the Lord means seeking his presence. “Presence” is a common translation of the Hebrew word “face.” Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But there is a sense in which God’s presence is not with us always. For this reason, the Bible repeatedly calls us to “seek the Lord…seek his presence continually.” God’s manifest, conscious, trusted presence is not our constant experience. That is why we are told to “seek his presence continually.” God calls us to enjoy continual consciousness of his supreme greatness and beauty and worth. It is a conscious choice to direct the heart toward God. This is what Paul prays for the church: “May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5). It is a conscious effort on our part. But that effort to seek God is a gift from God. We do not make this mental and emotional effort to seek God because he is lost. God is not lost. Nevertheless, there is always something through which or around which we must go to meet him consciously. This going through or around is what seeking is. He is often hidden. Veiled. He reveals himself in his word. So we can seek him through that. He shows himself to us in the evidences of grace in other people. So we can seek him through that. The seeking is the conscious effort to get through the natural means to God himself—to constantly set our minds toward God in all our experiences, to direct our minds and hearts toward him through the means of his revelation. This is what seeking God means. Seeking involves calling and pleading. The great obstacle to seeking the Lord is pride. “In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him” (Psalm 10:4). Therefore, humility is essential to seeking the Lord. The great promise to those who seek the Lord is that he will be found. “If you seek him, he will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9). And when he is found, there is great reward. “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). God himself is our greatest reward. And when we have him, we have everything. Therefore, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!”

    Meg, I love watching you “seek” God, and watching him reward you through your writing, your friendship and the love you have in your life!

    Love you. K

    Reply
  3. jenni

    I needed all these words here! <3

    Reply

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