WANTED, Hearts baptized with fire, Hearts completely cleansed from sin,
Hearts that will go to the mire, Hearts that dare do aught for Him;
Hearts that will be firmer, braver, Hearts like heroes gone before,
Hearts enjoying God’s full favour, Hearts to love Him more and more.
WANTED, Hearts that beat true ever, Hearts that can for others feel,
Hearts that prove the traitor never, Hearts that will the wounded heal;
Hearts overflowing with compassion, Hearts renewed by grace divine,
Hearts aglow with full salvation, Hearts to say: Thy will, not mine!
WANTED, Hearts to love the masses, Hearts to help Him seek the lost,
Hearts to help Him save all classes, Hearts to help Him save the worst;
Hearts to share with Him the weeping, Hearts to bear with Him the cross,
Hearts to help Him with the reaping, Hearts to trust through gain or loss.
WANTED, Hearts like thine, Lord, holy, Hearts that in thine image shine,
Hearts that turn from sin and folly, Hearts to know no way but thine;
Hearts that unto thee are given, Hearts possessed with dying love,
Hearts on earth but filled with Heaven, Hearts inspired from above.
By John Lawley (1859-1922)
What evil lurks in the hearts of men…
We live in an evil world
We live in a broken world
We live in a world filled with lies and untruths
But until men’s hearts have been changed from the inside,
you will not see a change in how the world is perceived.
It’s all hype and talk today. People say one thing and then do something else. Too much deceit is spread around. Lying is more the norm, it’s disguised as love, much like what we see from our politicians and leaders.
Psalm 52:2-3, “Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. You love evil more than good, lying rather than speaking righteousness.”
So often the tongue is used to shoot arrows at others, with deadly results. The Psalmist reminds us that we must never underestimate the damage that can be done by the tongue.
More people idolize the earth and ring bells for global warming and are concerned about climate change. It’s all well and good for us to take care of the earth that God provided for us…but it’s far more important for us to take care of each other. Christians and Jews are being persecuted and countries around the world are being terrorized, bombed, and people being killed. Dare I say “and could be coming to a city near you”. A lot of countries get together to talk and try and combat climate change…but these same countries don’t seem to be getting together to pray and look to God for their refuge. God is being removed from everything, when we should be looking to Him for everything.
Psalm 62:8 says “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us.”
Everybody is self-oriented, self-absorbed these days. The sincerity of man’s hearts has gone by the wayside. Greed; ignorance; intentionally speaking lies; speak about evil more than good; out for monetary gain and following the flesh. Just look at the kinds of shows on TV. More shows about evil, violence and darkness.
Kindness is spread in very small doses these days. There is no sense of community in our world today. Man is pitted against man. Are we ceasing to live in harmony?
Titus 2:11-12, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present.”
In Psalm 36:1a-4 it says the wicked do not fear God…but I think they should and they should be very afraid.
“…the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For he flatters himself in his own eyes, when he finds out his iniquity and when he hates. The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. He devises wickedness on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not abhor evil.”
Even this war of terrorism and evil around the world isn’t just a physical war it’s a spiritual war! It is Satan against God. The times we live in today are in Satan’s hand, but if we choose to heal our hearts with Christ, we begin to heal the times we live in and close the devil’s entryway.
There is truth out there
This truth will heal countries and leaders and the people
…but…Only if men’s hearts are changed!
And what is this truth, why its Jesus himself!!
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 “Nor is there salvation in any other for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Just think a new heart!
A heart transplant can change how we feel about each other as human beings, how we feel about our enemies who want to harm us. Also how we look after the earth on which we live. No matter what is going on out there all around us, living in Christ brings a peace from within that can help us withstand Satan’s outpouring of evil. You have to know it for yourself because my explanation can’t do it justice. We don’t have to fret when everything around us is out of control. God is in control! And we are never forsaken at anytime. When God made us he made the heart one of the strongest parts. The brain has nothing over the heart. There is so much we don’t know or understand and we aren’t meant to – yet. But, All hearts have a hole in them, a God-shaped hole and we just have to welcome Him in and that hole will be filled, never to be empty again.
With a heart transplant we die to our own needs and learn to live for the needs of others; we die to having it our way and learning to live in His way; we die to the darkness of this world while opening our eyes to the light of God’s world. So we LIVE a whole lot better!
Do you get my drift…?
ONE LAST NOTE…
Remember this: “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.” Colossians 1:16