The Heart of God

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Genesis 6:5-6

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. He formed the earth to be inhabited by people made in His image. God intended that they would use their God-given faculties for good and for righteousness. That is, that they would do what is morally right, that which is pleasing in God’s sight, which is, love. Love for God and love for their fellow man. That’s it, that’s all God requires. Love covers it all. God had high hopes for mankind, because love thinks no evil. It hopes the best for all people involved.

In the days of Noah the hearts of mankind was only evil continually. They were completely misusing the abilities God had given them for good and were using them for evil. The Word says that this grieved the heart of God. It caused him spiritual pain. It affected God profoundly. So much so that God repented or changed His mind about creating mankind. He would have taken back His creation of mankind, if He could have! Oh how the sin of mankind profoundly affects the heart of God! If we could only have a glimpse into this truth, how would it change the meditations of our heart? How would it change our words and actions towards God and others? I encourage you to meditate on these verses and let the Holy Spirit teach you something about how sin affects God.

O LORD, for thy servant’s sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness, in making known all these great things.

1 Chronicles 17:19

For the sake of His servants, God reveals some things about what is in His heart. God showed David that He did not want him to build a temple for His greatness, but that his son Solomon would be the one to build the temple. The Word says the secret things belong unto the Lord but those things that are revealed belong unto us and our children forever, that we may do them! God reveals His heart to us in hopes of impacting our thoughts and words and actions. His Word is grace to our hearts, which teaches us to fear God always in all things. It is entirely appropriate for us to pray to the Lord in the name of Jesus, asking God to reveal His heart for us and His heart for others. Further, we should ask God to put His heart for mankind within our hearts, as much as that is possible! Some things will remain a secret for now, but those things pertaining to love and godliness are just waiting to be revealed by the heart of God, by the Spirit of God. God speaking to our hearts. Deep calling unto deep. Be sure to spend much private time with the Lord, pouring out your heart before Him. He will answer you and reveal something of His heart. He longs to talk to His children. Be still and know that God is God.

For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come.

Isaiah 63:4

The day of vengeance is in God’s heart. How great His love and mercy must be, to withhold judgment from mankind for so many thousands of years! God’s heart is pleading with mankind to turn from their wicked ways by repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. God understands that the wicked will not be able to stand in the final judgment. So, accordingly, He sends out pastors and prophets and apostles and evangelists and teachers. He sends out His Word through His holy servants, the church of Jesus Christ. God is warning the world, in love. Love speaks up. Love warns the wicked that they are on the path to the lake of fire. One need not be an evangelist to tell people the truth about the day of vengeance. We are all called to be lights, revealing the darkness, showing people that their ways are wicked and wrong in the sight of God. Oh how the heart of God burns with zealous indignation at the sin of mankind! The same heart of God that destroyed the world with a flood of water will soon send back His Son Jesus Christ to take vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ! He will destroy the world again. This time, by the fire of His holy Word, breathing judgment on the wicked. Now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation. Now is the day to help people turn from evil to righteousness in the name of Jesus Christ.

And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

Jeremiah 3:15

God is a Shepard and we are His holy flock of so-called sheep. He leads us besides the still waters. That’s what a pastor does. Shepard is just another name for a pastor and his functions. Jesus Christ is the good Shepard. He guides us in the path of holiness and righteousness. A path that pleases His Father. God desires us to feed on His Word, which is Truth. That’s how we will grow and mature. It’s by being fed with the pure Word of Truth.

God despises false pastors. Those that scatter the flock with lies and half truths and smooth words. God hates disunity. God loves the Truth and accordingly all He speaks is Truth. He will soon judge the proud pastors that lead the flock astray. No one can fully understand the fury of the Lord on the false pastors until that day of vengeance comes. If you are a pastor or aspire to be one, I encourage you to check your motives. Why do you want to be a pastor? Is it to have an easy job that will generate income? If so, then repent of your foolish heart right now. God’s heart is that you would self sacrifice and give up your life for the sheep, the way Christ exemplified. When you pour out your life for the sheep, who are Christ’s, then you will understand something of the ultimate shepard’s heart, the Lord our God, the Father of lights.

One need not be a pastor in order to speak the truth in love from the heart. God calls all His people to live lives worth following. Follow us as we follow Christ, you could say. God believes that the way to holiness is through self sacrifice in the love of Christ. That’s the Truth of the matter. Speak the Truth to your neighbor in love and you will find the Spirit of God operating through you and in you. Only some people are called to be pastors but God desires all His people to have a Shepard’s heart. We are to tend to one another and our needs. Love will do whatever is required to see that the children have bread. Demonstrate the life of Christ with your life and heart. This is the heart of God for His church.

Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole heart and with my whole soul.

Jeremiah 32:41

God is a husbandman, a farmer, a cultivator of good things in our hearts. God watches over His children so diligently to perform all that is in His heart. It is telling that God says He uses his WHOLE heart and his WHOLE soul in His dealings with mankind and with His people. God gives us ALL HE IS. He holds nothing back. It is our sin that withholds good from us. It is our ignorance. We are the problem, not God. God withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly. God rejoices over us to do us good. The goodness of God leads us to repentance, so that we might partake of all God is and wants to sow into our lives. God is the sower and His Word is the seed that falls into our hearts and lives and bears much fruit in Christ. For without Christ and His Word, we can do nothing of worth in God’s sight.

God patiently and lovingly plants His Word in our lives and then takes great delight in watching that seed grow into a large and full tree of righteousness. He rejoices over us with singing when He sees us take hold of His promises by faith, which pleases Him greatly. No greater gift can a man give then to empty his or her life of all pride and selfishness and become a living vessel to the praise of our great God. God gives us His whole heart and we are made in His image, with a heart. We are supposed to give our whole heart to God. The heart cannot be satisfied completely until it fully surrenders to the will of God, which is LOVE LOVE LOVE. Every plant that the Father has not planted will soon be uprooted. Selfish plants have no place in the garden of God. Live a sacrificial life of love and watch what the Lord will do with it, speaking the truth to generations to come through YOU, HIS VESSEL!

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

This is the only verse in the Bible that specifically mentions the heart of Jesus. There are other verses that talk about the good things and love that come out of the heart of Jesus. Heart is implied in everything that God does and that mankind does. Heart is the very center of our spiritual being, be it God, Jesus, The Holy Spirit or mankind.

Let’s look at the heart of Jesus. What a beautiful sight it is to behold! Behold His gentleness, His meekness! He doesn’t force Himself on anyone. He patiently leads those that will choose to follow Him. He doesn’t smite His sheep, but gently corrects them when they go astray. His patience is as close to infinite as one can be. He is humble in heart. How great was His humility to submit to the will of the Father in all things, even the death on the cross. He did nothing wrong. He committed no sin. Yet it pleased Him to do the will of the Father unto physical death. This is the heart we must understand for it is the same heart the God wants to put in each of us. We are being conformed to the image of Jesus Christ, from glory to glory. Each day as we submit to God, we become more like His beloved Son, in whom He is well pleased.

Jesus said if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father. To witness the meek and humble heart of Jesus is to have a revelation of the Father’s heart. How tender and gentle it is! Even the smallest sin hurts the heart of God, yet He does not strike us dead when we hurt Him. He does not immediately retaliate. He patiently loves us and gives us opportunity to repent of every sin we might commit. Surely the heart of God is good and merciful. This is the record of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Create in us a clean heart oh God and renew a right spirit within us, after the image of your Son!