The Daily Fountain Daily Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 5 September 2019 – The Heart of Man
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TOPIC: The Heart of Man
READ: Jeremiah 17:1-10 King James Version (KJV)
- “The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron; With the point of a diamond it is engraved On the tablet of their heart, And on the horns of your altars,
- While their children remember Their altars and their wooden images By the green trees on the high hills.
- O My mountain in the field, I will give as plunder your wealth, all your treasures, And your high places of sin within all your borders.
- And you, even yourself, Shall let go of your heritage which I gave you; And I will cause you to serve your enemies In the land which you do not know; For you have kindled a fire in My anger which shall burn forever.”
- Thus says the Lord : “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord .
- For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited.
- “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord , And whose hope is the Lord .
- For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
- “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
- I, the Lord , search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.
THE MESSAGE:
God described the sin of Judah as being engraved in their hearts with a pen of iron, with a diamond tip. They seemed unrepentant of their sins which God had been pointing out to them.
They never cared to repent and seek God’s help. Instead, they sought for the help of Egypt against the coming Babylonian captivity. God described their heart, and man’s heart, generally as desperately wicked (verse 9).
God searches the heart and tests the mind as to give every man according to his ways. Our heart is the centre-piece of activity.
The Word of God enjoins us to guard it with all diligence, for out it comes all the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23). We should be careful of what flows in and out of our hearts. When we trust in the Lord, make Him our hope and give our hearts to Him, we will be like a tree planted by the riverside that its leaves remain evergreen. On what and on whom do you centre your heart? Never give your heart to the devil or the world.
PRAYER: May the meditations and thoughts of my heart be centred only on Thee, Oh Lord.
