By faith

I Samuel 16:7, “Do not look on his appearance… For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.”

Commentary: God’s standards are inward, not outward.

I Samuel 13:14, “The LORD has sought out a man after His own heart”

Commentary: being committed to His will and purposes

Ephesians 6:5-7, “…obey…with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the LORD and not to man”

Colossians 3:22-24, “…obey in everything…not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the LORD. Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the LORD and not for men, knowing that from the LORD you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”

Do you realize that when we obey the law, when we make the right decisions in life, when we perform good works from a selfish heart, that all those things are filthy rags, works of lawlessness, abominations to the LORD?

Do you realize that when all those children’s church and Sunday school teachers, those youth group leaders and Bible camp speakers encouraged us to live moral lives and not submit to peer pressure; saving sex for marriage, refraining from drinking/smoking/drugs, not cheating in school, and not stealing so that we could avoid all the bad consequences and enjoy all the good consequences; that they were teaching and training us in self-idolatry?

I was commenting to my husband how my life could never be used for a typical Sunday school lesson. I doubt I'll ever be asked to come and share at a youth event about the earthly rewards of obedience.

I attempted to pursue, and earn as a reward, my heart’s desire of a comfortable life as a stay-at-home-mom, by strict obedience to all the letters of all the laws. I didn’t have any desire for riches, but a secure financial situation. I didn’t want to be a famous athlete, or have a super-model’s figure, but I desired consistent, stable health and fitness. I didn’t want a career, power, or even a higher education; but I wanted a simple, quiet life, working at home, cooking, cleaning, raising children in the church to love the LORD, and providing a peaceful refuge for my husband from his Monday to Friday, 9-5 job.

I made all the right decisions. I refrained from what I was commanded to refrain from. I did what I was commanded to do. But all of this outward obedience was by way of eye-service, and from a heart of worshipping my heart’s desire.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and cast out demons in Your name, and do many might works in Your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness.’” – Matthew 7:21-23

Do you realize what Jesus is saying here? Have you ever heard this passage read growing up in the church?

Not everyone who professes to be a Christian will enter the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who is baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Many who have gone into the ministry and even missions, who have fed and clothed the needy, who have visited the widows and prisoners, who have taken in the orphans, who have invited people to church, who had lead others in the sinners’ prayer, who have been at church every single time its doors are open, who have faithfully tithed every penny they’ve received, who have memorized the whole Bible, who have prayed the most eloquent and moving prayers all in Jesus’ name will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Not every 'super-Christian' will enter the kingdom of heaven.

Does that make you as uncomfortable as it makes me? Does it make you wonder if all your efforts are for naught? Does that make something in your gut unsettled? Does the child within you cry, ‘But that’s not fair!’?

God continually makes a clear distinction throughout all of Scripture between outward behavior that is seen and inward motivations that are unseen.

Wolves in sheep’s clothing. People having the appearance of godliness but denying its power. Plants with no roots. Speaking in tongues of men and of angels, having prophetic powers, understanding all mysteries and all knowledge, having all faith, giving away everything, even ones life…but not having love; the fruit of the Spirit.

What is the one specification that Jesus makes in this passage about those who will enter the kingdom of heaven?

“the one who does the will of My father”

What was the one thing necessary when Jesus rebuked Martha for being distracted from it by her ‘good works’ of serving?

“…Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to His teaching.” – Luke 10:39

The most frequently distorted verse used to further our self-idolatry seems to be, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

How often have we heard people use this in their testimonies? How often has it been misapplied to the heroes of the Bible? I gave my life to Christ and all my dreams came true! Be like David, and you'll be praised, honored, remembered.

Sadly, this has been the main method and manipulation to convince people to ‘ask Jesus into their hearts’. It’s not grateful and willing submission to the will of the Father, and it’s not sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to His teaching about who the Father is, and learning what His will is. It’s about self-preservation.

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself… For whoever would save his life/soul will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

To deny myself, to lose my life is to give up my desires, my will, my passions, my dreams for my life.

“So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple.” Luke 14:33

All that I have includes, again, my desires, will, dreams, passions.

"present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship/rational service." Romans 12:1

Living for God, not for self. Living for God's will and desire and purpose, not my own ideas of glorifying Him.

Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

Treasure God's will, God's plan, God's way. Treasure God.

God demands our hearts. God is worthy of our whole heart. He will never break our hearts, and will only ever keep and guard them. Only God Himself can satisfy our hearts’ longings, and give us true and everlasting shalom, peace, well-being, abundant life. God Himself is our reward, our inheritance.

I Peter 1:4, “…an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you”

John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

This is why we are commanded to love God with all our hearts. This is why we are commanded to not have any idols, anything or anyone to divide our hearts. This is why we are commanded to worship God alone. And trusting and obeying God's instructions and promises is how we vigilantly guard our hearts.

It is when I let my guard down that my eyes and mind wander; taking in all around me to compare the lives of others to my current situation that I lose my strength, my joy in the LORD.

And then instead of casting off every weight and sin that hinders me from looking to Jesus, I cling more and more to my desires, my will, my passions, my dreams for myself and for my loved ones.

Every single time this results in me feeling empty, useless, worthless, lost and without purpose, restless, unsettled, frustrated and confused. Every single time this results in feeling distant from my Father, and my Bible/prayer time feels like a chasing after the wind.

This feeling of life being sucked out of me is just that! I've turned my heart away from Life itself, and I am dying spiritually. God is calling us, beckoning us back to Himself so He can revive, refresh, renew us.

II Corinthians 4:16-18, “So we do not lose heart. … For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

I have tasted and seen the goodness of the LORD; and just from these little hints and brief glimpses I’ve been swallowed up, consumed, overwhelmed with joy unspeakable. Yes, it is foolish to attempt to compare the infinite pressure of beauty of the LORD against anything this world may have to offer!

God was gracious in not giving me the desires of my heart; in not giving me up to the desires of my heart. For in His withholding them, He gave me Himself. And He can never be taken away, He can never change, He can never disappoint.

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your Word. You are good and do good; teach me Your statutes. … It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn Your statutes.” Psalm 119:67-68, 71

God’s Word, His law, His statutes, His rules, testimonies, commandments…reveal Himself to us. He is sharing His heart, His nature, His character, His attributes with us so that we can know Him. Not just know about Him, but know Him intimately.

God desires and treasures my heart; not my behavior, not my acts of service, not my good works. He’s all about the heart.

‘By faith we see the hand of God In the light of creation's grand design In the lives of those who prove His faithfulness Who walk by faith and not by sight By faith our fathers roamed the earth With the power of His promise in their hearts Of a holy city built by God's own hand A place where peace and justice reign By faith the prophets saw a day When the longed-for Messiah would appear With the power to break the chains of sin and death And rise triumphant from the grave By faith the church was called to go In the power of the Spirit to the lost To deliver captives and to preach good news In every corner of the earth

By faith this mountain shall be moved And the power of the gospel shall prevail For we know in Christ all things are possible For all who call upon His name

[Chorus]

We will stand as children of the promise

We will fix our eyes on Him our soul's reward

Till the race is finished and the work is done

We'll walk by faith and not by sight’ – By Faith, Kristyn and Keith Getty

- Soli Deo gloria