“All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.” (Proverbs 16:2 NKJV)
This passage reveals that it is not enough to clean up our act on the outside. Man's self-effort to clean up the performance falls short of God's glory (Romans 3:23). His actions are deceiving and most often do not reflect his intentions.
When He came down from heaven, the mission of the Lord Jesus Christ is not to reform the manners of society. He came to change the hearts of humanity – sinners like every one of us. He came to transform our inner being. For Him, the interior is what matters, not the 'curb appeal'.
God allowed Jesus to become what He hated the most; sin. So we could become like who He loved the most; His righteous Son. Jesus died as we, so we could live as Him. Through His death and miraculous resurrection and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our being, the moment we are reborn by receiving His Lordship in our life, God sees Jesus when He sees us. We are hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Our heart is what and who we are, in the secrecy of our thought and emotion that nobody knows but God. And, who we are in the invisible root, matters as much to God, as what we are on the visible branch. “Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Hence, we are to take care of our heart and mind to be cleansed by regular intake of His spoken Words (John 15:3). He exhorts us in this assurance: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7 NIV)
And I say, AMEN!
Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries
(When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.)
Partners For Christ Ministries, INC
P. O. Box 773716
Ocala, FL 34477
Touching lives in Cambodia, The Philippines, The Middle East, The USA, and... other countries.
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