Revealing Our True Hearts

Reflections for this date are based on the following scripture passages:
Matthew 7	Matthew 8	Matthew 9	Genesis 5	Genesis 6	Psalms 2	Proverbs 1

Genesis chapters 5-6, Psalms 2, and Proverbs 1 all portray a sinful mankind whose hearts were intent on evil. It was so bad, in fact, that in Noah's day God regretted making man and decided to destroy all mankind and start over with Noah who was a righteous man. After Noah it didn't go a whole lot better, and after some 2,000 years Jesus came along and got to the heart of the matter which is the hearts of mankind. Though man's sin could be forgiven by God through the giving of offerings and sacrifices, it did not change their hearts. Jesus came, not only to offer forgiveness for sin, but to bring change in the hearts of men.

Jesus' teachings from the beginning had a different nature to them. Rather than being focused on outward actions, they were focused on inner thoughts and motives. The attention previously given to outward actions had brought about a judgmental attitude by most, looking at the actions of others and pointing the finger at their sins. But Jesus told them they had no right to be pointing out the speck in another person's eye when there was a log in their own eye. In other words, each person needed to examine their own hearts to address the sin in their own lives rather than looking at the sin in another person's life while ignoring the sin in their own life.

The true judge of a person, Jesus said, is not so much what they may say or do, but the fruit of their lives. A person can say all the right things and do all the proper things, but if these words and actions are not conveying the true heart of the person, this will eventually come out in the fruit of their lives. Do these actions line up with how they live in all areas of their lives? That is the question.