At the Heart of the Problem

At the Heart of the Problem

by Grant Gaines

I like to think of myself as a pretty normal guy but I do have one personality trait that I’ll admit is rather strange. I’m one of those weird people who actually enjoys working out and eating healthy. I know, tough cross to bear right? And because I enjoy working out so much, I often like to do research on the internet to find new and more efficient ways to workout.  So one day last summer, I was surfing the internet when I stumbled upon an article about a heart rate monitor.

A heart rate monitor does exactly what the name implies, it monitors your heart rate while working out. This is important to know because if you don’t know your heart rate while working out you could be burning time rather than burning calories.

So I bought me one! And I’ve grown to really enjoy working out with my heart rate monitor. Now I have a hard time even imagining working out without it. There is just something fascinating to me about knowing exactly how hard my heart is working at any given moment during a workout. Socrates once said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” I certainly agree with that statement and, when it comes to working out, my heart rate monitor allows me to examine the quality of my workouts.

Did you know that God also agrees with Socrates’ statement? God spoke through David in Psalms 139:23-24 (NIV) and said, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God also instructed David to write Psalms 26:2 (NIV) which says, “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind…”

You see, God knows that if we live an unexamined life, we may overlook some sin patterns that are beginning to form in our lives. When we allow sin patterns to grow roots in our lives, we miss out on God’s blessings as well as the joy that we receive from living our lives according to God’s sovereign plan.

For whatever reason, we’re great at pointing out the sins of others while overlooking our own sins. It is also easy for us to see our own sins when they are the “big sins” such as stealing or murdering or committing adultery. But Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV), “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment….”  Jesus stresses another sin in Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV), “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

Jesus’s point: Sins are often an internal problem before they become an external problem. And we can’t see these sin patterns unless we examine our hearts.

But what does it look like to examine our hearts? First off, it takes time. You must get alone with God and take the time to hear His voice. More than likely He won’t speak to you with an audible voice but through a passage of Scripture or through a thought He places in your mind. Then once we hear His voice, we must act upon it.

And we may not always like what He is saying to us or asking us to do. Often we don’t see the sins in our lives because we are too busy enjoying the sins in our lives. But just as we know medicine is good for us even though it doesn’t always taste good going down, we can be sure that God’s instruction is for our good as well.

Are you taking the time to examine your life? If not, you may be missing out on God’s blessing because an unnoticed sin pattern is developing in your life.

Why not make today the day that you get a heart check-up from the Good Doctor?

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©Grant Gaines 2013