But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or his stature, because I have rejected him. Man does not see what the LORD sees, for man sees what is visible, but the LORD sees the heart.”     1 Samuel 16:7 HCSB

Over this past weekend and today people are celebrating Valentine’s Day. We see lots of red and pink hearts. When we love someone, we send a heart emoji. We buy cards with hearts on them that profess our love. The Bible has a lot to say about the heart and unfortunately it is not all good.

Jeremiah 17:9 warns us that the heart is deceitful above all things and is desperately sick. It asks the question, “who can understand it?” Matthew 6:21 tell us that where our heart is our treasure will be also. Matthew 12:34 tells us that out of an abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. So, whatever is filling our heart will be flowing out of our mouths.

When the Bible speaks of the heart it is not referring to those cute little red and pink emojis or cut outs. It’s not even referring to the heart as the organ that pumps blood through our bodies. It refers to the heart as the bottom of our soul. It encompasses who we truly are and what we truly believe. The heart is the center of our focus. What is in our heart determines how we treat others.

The Bible tells us that the most important thing is love. An evil heart won’t love others. It will perpetrate evil against others. We talk about psychological disorders like narcissism where people only care about themselves or only love themselves. Our hearts should be filled with love for God and love for others.

If you want a heart that is right with God, the Bible tells us what we must do. We must surrender our hearts to Christ. We are told in Matthew 22:37-39 that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind. The second most important commandment is that we love others as we love ourselves. This means that we treat them as good as we treat ourselves. And let’s face it, most of us like to treat ourselves very well.

If we don’t put God first, we won’t be any good at loving others. Our pastor often tells us that to have true joy, we must put Jesus first, others second and ourselves last. We must love God with all we have. We must put Him above everything and everyone else in our lives.

As you celebrate Valentine’s Day, I hope that you are experiencing the love of family and friends and even that special someone. But if you are not, remember you are not alone. Our first love should be Jesus Christ. If we put Him first, He will take care of everything else.

Trust in Him today. Love Him with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind. Remember that he doesn’t care how tall you are or what you weigh. He cares about your heart and what’s in it. He wants a heart filled with love for Him and others. He wants us to put Him first. When we do this, it shows to all those around us. Our pastor often says that we may be the only Bible some will ever read. Ephesians 5:1 tells us that we are to be imitators of Christ. Christ loved us enough to die on that cross for us. We should remember to love Him that much and also to show His love to others.

If you don’t have a loving relationship with your Lord and Savior, there is no time like the present. Turn to Him today. Cry out to Him for salvation. Ask for forgiveness of your sins. Trust in Him as your Savior and ask Him to send His Holy Spirit to reside in your heart to help you to resist the temptation to sin.

God looks at our heart. Will your heart pass the love test this Valentine’s Day? I hope so because tomorrow may be too late.

Have a very Happy Valentine’s Day!