Bible Reading
Exodus 3
Luke 6
Devotional Thoughts
What is in your heart? Matt 6:21 Jesus says, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” The things that we treasure will capture our hearts! As Paul Tripp says, “Whatever controls your heart will control your behavior.” I think that’s what Jesus is saying in Luke Luke 6:44-45. Jesus talks about the fruit of our lives. The fruit shows what kind of tree it is. A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A heart controlled by ungodliness and worldliness, will produce ungodliness and worldliness. A heart controlled by godliness and the Holy Spirit, will produce God likeness and holiness. What ever controls the heart reveals the fruit.
As I was sharing these thoughts this morning with my orientation students, it dawned on me that the treasure of our hearts can be measured. If we take an inventory of where we spend our time, energy and money, it will show where our treasure is, and therefore what controls our behavior. So, this morning, as I was sharing, I took a short inventory of the last couple weekends (since my time during the week is taken up with orientation mostly). The past 2 weekends, I have spend almost every spare minute working on building furniture. I haven’t spent hardly any time with Robin. And as we (Robin and I) talked last night, I realized I have completely overlooked her while enjoying this “new” hobby that I have been learning.
As I reflect on this now, I am amazed at how quickly something can become a treasure and begin controlling my behavior. Now, it’s not that hobbies are bad. Nor are things that take up a lot of time wrong, like parenting toddlers. But when we allow those things to keep us from spending time with God, and they keep us from God being our ultimate treasure, we need to evaluate our priorities.
Declarations
- What I spend my time, my energy and my money on IS the treasure of my heart. Those treasures will control my behavior. I want God to be the treasure of my heart. I know I need to be intentional to make that happen. (Matt 6:21)
- Without being intentional to make God my treasure, my heart will become consumed and controlled by the things I desire.
- The outflow of my heart will be the things I have intentionally chosen to treasure. (Luke 6:44-45)
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