Dare to Pursue
“The Matter of the Heart”
October 8, 2006
Me: We talked last week about spiritual gifts and how God has given each of us gifts to use to build up the church. We used the acrostic SHAPE to describe it. Today we are going to look at heart.
The heart is an important aspect of life. Not just your physical heart, but your emotional heart. Your inner desires and your inner passions are what we commonly refer to as heart. I love people who do things with heart. I love it when people go all out for something.
Have you ever noticed the physical effects of excitement on your kids? One thing we do around our house when our children are especially excited about something and we need them to calm down is we have them feel their heart. Sometimes Zach and I will be wrestling around the living room and he gets a little too wild and I have to remind him to calm down. I put my hand on his heart and have him feel how fast it is beating. It reminds him that he needs to get a grip on his emotions and his heart.
We: Maybe you have had similar experiences. What is it that really gets your heart going? What do you get excited about? One thing that the bible tells us is that we must is that our heart can really lead us astray.
When the bible talks about heart, it means the center of our being.
It refers to the aspect of our lives that leads us in decision making and guides our bodies to actions. But the bible gives us a warning about the heart of man.
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
Jeremiah 17:9 (NIV)
God:
Solomon wrote about trying to find ways to please his heart and enjoy his life in Ecclesiastes 2. Today we want to look at the problems of understanding the heart.
“I thought in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with pleasure to find out what is good." But that also proved to be meaningless. "Laughter," I said, "is foolish. And what does pleasure accomplish?" I tried cheering myself with wine, and embracing folly--my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was worthwhile for men to do under heaven during the few days of their lives.” Ecclesiastes 2:1-3 (NIV)
Physical pleasure does not bring lasting fulfillment.
“I undertook great projects: I built houses for myself and planted vineyards. I made gardens and parks and planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made reservoirs to water groves of flourishing trees. I bought male and female slaves and had other slaves who were born in my house. I also owned more herds and flocks than anyone in Jerusalem before me. I amassed silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and provinces. I acquired men and women singers, and a harem as well--the delights of the heart of man. I became greater by far than anyone in Jerusalem before me. In all this my wisdom stayed with me. I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:4-11 (NIV)
Possessions do not satisfy the heart.
“Then I turned my thoughts to consider wisdom, and also madness and folly. What more can the king’s successor do than what has already been done? I saw that wisdom is better than folly, just as light is better than darkness. The wise man has eyes in his head; while the fool walks in the darkness; but I came to realize that the same fate overtakes them both. Then I thought in my heart,” The fate of the fool will overtake me also. What then do I gain by being wise? I said in my heart, "This too is meaningless." For the wise man, like the fool, will not be long remembered; in days to come both will be forgotten. Like the fool, the wise man too must die!
Ecclesiastes 2:12-16 (NLT)
Philosophies do not satisfy the questions of the heart.
“ So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over all my toilsome labor under the sun. For a man may do his work with wisdom, knowledge and skill, and then he must leave all he owns to someone who has not worked for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune. What does a man get for all the toil and anxious striving with which he labors under the sun? All his days his work is pain and grief; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is meaningless. A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.” Ecclesiastes 2:17-24 (NIV)
The desires of the heart are not measured in earthly success.
“This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? To the man who pleases him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to the sinner he gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” Ecclesiastes 2:24-26 (NIV)
The contented heart is the heart that chooses to please God.
God calls us to live lives that seek him and desire to please him. When we set our heart on pleasing God, it changes our view of everything. God begins to reshape what is important to us and to help us to evaluate the things in life in a new and more satisfying way. We begin to seek what is eternally important rather than what is only temporary.
“Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.” Psalm 37:4 (NLT)
That verse doesn’t mean that we will get everything we want. What it means is that God will begin to shape our heart to match his and to make our desires line up with his desires.
How do we please God?
“But he’s already made it plain how to live, what to do, what God is looking for in men and women. It’s quite simple: Do what is fair and just to your neighbor, be compassionate and loyal in your love, and don’t take yourself too seriously-- take God seriously.” Micah 6:8 (The Message)
You: So, what is your heart chasing after? Do you find yourself fulfilled or feeling like there should be more to life? Do the things that you are chasing bring contentment and peace, or are they simply adding to your frustration in life?
We: I want to share with you today bout a young woman who has for the last two years followed the desires of her heart. It has led to sacrifice, and struggle at times, but it has made her feel a sense of accomplishment and purpose.
Krystal Krivanek has gone for the last two summers on an overseas trip to serve in camps teaching English to European children. Check out this collection of pictures from her trip this past summer.
**Show video
Bring Krystal up to interview:
1) Why did you want to go on this trip?
2) What gave you a heart to go overseas?
3) How have you grown through these experiences?
4) What do you hope these experiences will do for others?
5) What do you hope they will do for you?
6) Do you feel like these have helped meet your hearts desires?
Doing the things that God gives to us and being obedient to God’s call in our lives is an essential part to recognizing the work of God in shaping our heart.
The scripture tells us that the actions of our lives reflect the nature and character of our heart.
“As a face is reflected in water, so the heart reflects the person.” Proverbs 27:19 (NLT)
Today I would invite you to carefully examine the desires of your heart and the process by which you are fulfilling those desires. Are they leading you closer to God or farther away? Are you more fulfilled or more frustrated?
Today, surrender the heart of your life to pursuing the things of God and allow him to begin working on your heart form the inside out.
