Is Your Heart In The Right Place?
Let love guide you.
Introduction
Back in the Old Testament days it was a law of God that if someone poor owed you something you were commanded by God to forgive it every 7th year. So lets say, as an example, that 7th year was 1000BC, then you were required to forgive debts to the poor on 1000BC and then on 993BC, and so on. This was called the LORD's release.
(Deuteronomy 15:1-2) "At the end of every seven years thou shalt make a release. {2} And this is the manner of the release: Every creditor that lendeth ought unto his neighbour shall release it; he shall not exact it of his neighbour, or of his brother; because it is called the LORD’S release."
One Problem
The LORD's release sounds like a really great system with lots of love and mercy built in. There is only one problem. Man's heart is wicked. Man being wicked, he is less likely to lend someone someone something 1 or 2 months shy of the forgiveness date. That would harm the poor greatly because they may go without food and starve.
God warned against this type of thing. Just because you followed the letter of the law, doesn't mean your heart is in the right place. The more important thing is that your heart is in the right place.
(Deuteronomy 15:9) "Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him nought; and he cry unto the LORD against thee, and it be sin unto thee."
Where Is Your Heart?
Of course, this just isn't applicable to debt forgiveness. This is applicable to EVERYTHING you do in life. Is your heart in the right place when you tell someone the gospel or are you just using God’s word as a weapon to hurt them? Is your heart in the right place when you lend someone some money? When you give to your church? Is your heart in the right place when you help a neighbor or co-worker? Or are you expecting something in return? Is your heart in the right place when you give your wife flowers? Are you expecting something from her in return?
When Jesus came to earth he told us the first commandment is to, "Love thy Lord thy God with all thy heart." The second most important commandment Jesus said was to love your neighbor.
(Mark 12:28-31) "¶ And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? {29} And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: {30} And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. {31} And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these."
Conclusion
When your heart is in the right place, you don't need to worry about giving and loving even if it's going to cost you something in the short term. Do you not know that the Lord will repay you? When you give, you are lending to the Lord and since he is a just and good God he's going to repay you.
(Deuteronomy 15:10) "Thou shalt surely give him, and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him: because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto."
Now ask yourself, Is my heart in the right place today? Is your heart aligned with Jesus?
How To Get Saved
If you are not saved yet by Jesus Christ for all of eternity, God wants you to know that you can be. It doesn't matter who you are or what you've done. God loves us so much he gave his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins on the cross even though we don't even deserve it. He was then buried for 3 days, and then gloriously resurrected 3 days later.
This is what the Bible says about how you can be saved:
(Acts 16:30-31) "And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? {31} And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house."
If you want to know more about salvation and how to live a victorious Christian life after you get saved, I have a salvation guide on profile or here:
“The LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” — 1Samuel 16:7