The Heart of the Matter

“May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance.”- 2 Thess. 3:5

A hard heart makes ministry and service difficult. As Christ served the poor and directed His disciples to do the same, He taught them to have a heart focused on God’s Kingdom. God’s love overflowed in Jesus’ ministry which enabled Him to persevere beyond the naysayers and persecution. His heart was constantly fixed on God’s Kingdom and His focus was always on bringing glory to His Father in heaven.

This should be our focus as well. When our heart is focused on Christ, we cannot help but to do good things. It is His steadfast love that draws us to the good deeds that define our faith.  Jesus did good for all He came in to contact with in order to draw them closer to a reconciled relationship with their creator. We are called to do the same.

If we allow it, God can direct our heart to beat in rhythm with His. If we focus our thoughts on the teachings of Jesus and the example He set, then we will understand what it means to love. When we are willing to walk into the lives of those in need and live life with them, even when we are scorned or mocked, but have our heart and mind on Christ, we can then understand what it means to persevere.

The heart of the matter is not the act of service or love, but for whom we serve and love. Jesus set the standard and God’s glory was the purpose. That’s the heart of the matter!