Replacing Deceit With Truth

DO YOUR DESIRES HINDER YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE?

By Joy Allmond

Ever since Mark and Julie were married, they dreamed of pastoring a church. When years passed and Mark did not get the “call,” they became frustrated. They were serving at a church when the leadership made a minor decision with which they did not agree. They used this as an excuse to do what they have always dreamed of – to pastor a church. In their minds, best way for them to do this was to start their own. They even took a substantial percentage of people from their previous church with them, to the point of fracturing the health of that church.

Is it a sin to start a new church? Absolutely not. There are places all over the globe, and even in our own nation that desperately need new church plants. The issue here is Mark’s and Julia’s hearts. Their hearts deceived them into rationalizing their desire to lead a church by overreacting to the unfavorable decision made by their church leadership.

Another way Mark and Julie rationalized their desires is because it seemed like a good and noble thing to do. They thought (and defended themselves with): We’re starting a church. Why wouldn’t God be pleased with that? We followed our hearts. How could we be wrong?

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

Jeremiah 17:9-10 says:

The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds.

As we examine this small passage in the book of Jeremiah, it is important to understand the context behind the Scripture. The prophet Jeremiah was warning the people of Judah that there was impending doom as a result of their actions. During Jeremiah’s years of prophecy, a corrupt king named Jehoiakim turned what was once a God-honoring territory into one that worshipped pagan idols. He built himself a showy palace and did not compensate the laborers. This disregard for God hurled Judah into a national crisis.

The fleshly desire for power and the overarching sin of pride, like Mark and Julie, led Jehoikim and the people of Judah into this downward spiral of destruction. Worst of all, these were God’s covenant people, and they broke this covenant through their disloyalty to Him.

Jeremiah 17:9 states the problem: the heart. Interestingly, the original Hebrew word transliterated aqob, comes from the same root as the name, Jacob, which means “heel grabber,” or “supplanter.” In Genesis 25, we read the account of Jacob’s deceit of his father and his brother to get his own personal desire – the birthright. As with Jacob, our fleshly hearts deceive us into letting our desires cloud the truth of Scripture.

This same verse also says that our hearts are sick. The New International Version uses the word incurable. Does this mean hopeless? No. It just means we can’t change our hearts on our own.

THE SOLUTION

Flip further into Jeremiah and land on 31:33. Read what it says:

”But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

What King Jehoikim and the people of Judah fractured as a result of their disobedience, God fully intended to restore. Through continual encouragement and warnings, Judah turned back to God and was bonded to Him once again. This new covenant was set, and God law written on their hearts was equivalent to having a new heart – a new, healthy heart turned toward Him.

As with the Judeans, the only One who can heal our incurable, deceitful hearts is God, through His Son Jesus Christ. Is His law written on your heart?

Moms

by Becky Hunter

"A week ago, during the worship service, Joel asked the children in the congregation to come to the front of the sanctuary. Hundreds of them made their way toward him ... several raced or hopped, some walked down the aisles and waved to the rest of us like they were running for office. And a few tiptoed along after getting nudged toward the stage by parents who had decided they were going to get their little guys where Joel had invited them to be. Once the kids arrived at the front, Joel proceeded to interview many of them about who they would choose to be, if they were to participate in the Christmas story. The whole scene was endearing and, at points, pretty hilarious.

While I sat there and listened to their answers to his questions, I suddenly became aware of some very special adults in the room—moms. They were easy to spot as they leaned forward, listening intently while trying to see their children. I remembered what it was like when we had young sons who were going to be seen and heard in a public setting. Kids are kids and what they say and do can send their moms to the heights of rejoicing or the depths of despair. When moms are in the thick of childrearing they may overlook how much God uses their young children to encourage other folks. Even if our children don’t always say what we hope they will or do what we dream they might, they do reflect God’s goodness to this world in ways that adults no longer can.

While the Bible doesn’t give us much insight into Jesus upbringing, it does mention that when Jesus was born Mary “pondered” what others were saying about Him (Luke 2:19), and it states that when Jesus was 12 years old Mary “pondered” what He was saying about Himself (Luke 2:51). Scripture doesn’t give us a clue, though, about Mary’s parenting methods. We have no idea whether she was a “Tiger Mom” or tread very lightly around her 100% God/100% human child. 

The lack of information on how Mary parented her boy leads me to conclude that God is less concerned about a specific method of parenting than He is that a mom sees herself as “the Lord’s servant” (Luke 1:38). Maybe we actually have more information about Mary’s role in Jesus’ young life than we think we do, at first glance. Mary had chosen to be the Lord’s servant and because she took on that role, God trusted her enough to raise His son.

Jesus had the mom God chose for Him and He “grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men" (Luke 2:5). Our children have the mom God chose for them. Ponder that and serve God well."

Picture: Camille and I. She was 2 months-old.