The heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable-who can understand it? I, Yahweh, examine the mind, I test the heart to give to each according to his way, according to what his actions deserve. Jeremiah 17:9-10 HCSB
As I woke up this morning, I wondered how many other people were regretting all the sugar that they ate yesterday. Between the malted milk eggs, peeps, chocolate bunnies, and all the different varieties of candies that make them into eggs for Easter. Now I am using eating to demonstrate my point, but what I am trying to say is that whatever we do has consequences. Consequence is defined as a result or effect of an action or condition.
Our actions have consequences. Now in Hindu and Buddhism the term karma is defined as the sum of a person’s actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences. This term has been adopted into our culture to mean destiny or fate, following as effect from cause. Some people simply say things like, “what goes around, comes around”.
However you want to say it, our scripture passage cautions us that our heart will deceive us and that God will hold us accountable for every thought and action. In Matthew 5:21-26 Jesus tells his disciples that anyone who is angry with his brother is accountable and will be judged by God. It goes on to say that whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council and whoever says, “You fool” will be liable to the hell of fire. In Matthew 5:27 we are told that looking upon someone with lust in your heart makes you guilty of adultery.
Sin always looks like a good idea at the time just like eating a chocolate Easter bunny and four or five types of chocolate candy eggs seems like a great idea. But it is a decision that we will regret at some point. If we eat too much we may become sick and will definitely gain weight which could lead to a host of other health problems. If we make wrong decisions there will be a price to pay.
God is going to hold us accountable for our sin. In Galatians 6:7 Paul cautions us not to be deceived, God will not be mocked. Whatever we reap is what we shall sow. Have you ever planted an oak tree and had it produce oranges? Have you ever planted watermelon seeds and had tomatoes grow from it? No, whatever we plant is what we get and the same goes with our lives. You can’t plant weeds and expect roses to grow there. God loves us no matter what, but if we want to enjoy the good fruits of that love then we must plant seeds of mercy, love and kindness.
So today I am putting my mouth back on it’s diet and I’m not just talking about what goes in, but also what comes out. I am also doing a little self check of my heart. I am being careful not to let it deceive me. I also want to remove any sickness or deceit that I find. Whatever is in our heart is where our thoughts come from and it usually flows out of our mouths. Know that God is not giving us a free pass on this. I ask you to join me today and each day forward to be more cautious of what our hearts are full of and what spills out of them. Don’t let your heart deceive you.
Have a great day!