Does Your Heart Need Bypass Surgery?
I ask that question but not referring to our flesh-and-blood heart where one or more blocked coronary arteries are preventing normal blood flow. We’ve heard the word “heart” used since we were young in everyday language, in social media, in literature, in music, and in other contexts. We think of it as something inside us that feels emotions like love, affection, compassion, or sorrow. — like telling someone: “I love you with all my HEART.” That doesn’t mean our physical heart. Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God with all your HEART, soul and mind.” (Luke 2:27)
Our heart in the Bible is a composition of all the components of our soul — our mind, emotion, and will – plus the most important part of our spirit—our conscience. “And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, ‘Why are you thinking evil things in your hearts?’” (Matthew 9:4) And, in thoughts of this Holy Week, Jesus was comforting His disciples with these words: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take HEART! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). So, as His disciples, too, let US take HEART!
My daughter, in a message about having a pure heart, coined these words: “The purer the vessel, the greater the flow.” We can picture a kitchen sink pipe that becomes clogged because of an abundance of grease or other substances. Most important are our vessels (our hearts) that become filled with kunk that prevents a free flow of God’s joy, peace, love and all the other Fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
I desire God’s “stamp of approval” on my life but there are times when we say or do something that we know are “cloggers” aka compromises in doing and saying the right thing. Case in point. I am selling some things on Facebook’s Marketplace. One of those things was an iPhone 6-s Plus that I found tucked away in a box. The first two people who responded were scammers. They wanted my phone number. Innocent enough so I gave it to them. Then they asked me to send the code back to me they texted me. I wouldn’t. I knew it was a scam and one replied to me “You are a fake!” And I responded to her and the other one with: “You are a SCAMMER and a FAKE!” A while later, my heart (my conscience) reminded me that I was speaking words that weren’t packed with “loving with all my heart”. I knew I had to apologize. And, I did with these words: “I really apologize for the words I spoke over you. I am a Christian and calling you a fake and scammer isn’t what Jesus would call you. So, I’m expressing my apologies and wishing you peace and joy. In the Bible, in the book of Isaiah 43:1, it says ” I have called you by name; now you belong to me.” And in Isaiah 49:16, it says “See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands.” Again, I wish you well and I apologize. God bless you.” My heart felt clean again.
Some might say I take things too seriously, but I’ve lived long enough to know a pure vessel allows a free flow of God’s blessings with a joy-filled, peace-filled life, and God’s “stamp of approval”. It’s about “tweaking” ourselves on a daily basis because the little things do matter. And, little things can clog up our hearts. Don’t we want the flow out of us to others to be filled with encouragement, comfort, joy, and love? And don’t we want God’s flow back to us to be the same?
It just makes sense to get out God’s roto-rooter to clean-out and purify our vessels — our pipelines — because, “The purer the vessel — the greater the flow!” I sincerely want that constant flow — freely flowing — in and out of my life! How about you?