The devotional Jhn09

The Devotional

Comment: Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who keep His Testimonies, who seek Him with the WHOLE heart! Psalm 119:1-2. We do not give much thought of our heart! (Not the physical heart that beats every minute of the day between 60 and 90 beats per minute and if we are healthy we do not even consider that heart). The heart I am speaking of is the one within your conscious mind, most of us use only half of that heart, and we are notably half-hearted. We are stubborn rebels, emotional nitwits and dangerously reckless individuals. This is why I am always using these little quips like “in your heart of hearts you KNOW…” Yes if you take the time to look into this chamber of consciousness fully you will see the error of living apart from the soul that God gave you, see Ezekiel 18:4. This being true we should strive to fully equip our heart with a good conscience, one that is without offense toward God and man, see Act 24:16.

Challenge: John 3:1-21 – Sometimes in reading the Bible without regard to its historical setting we can develop an unfaithful response to the people, for example; Jesus in Matthew 23 expressed woe regarding the teachers of the law or religion of the day and we become irritated with these teachers as we consider that Jesus is irritated with the persons as well. Jesus said that the scribes and Pharisees who sit and judge the nation as Moses did were nothing more than blind guides. The analogy of Jesus was that these men would be found gagging on a gnat, but willingly capable of swallowing an adult camel – Matthew 23:23-26. This is the epitome of the scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day. 

However, it was the religion of the Pharisees that Jesus was condemning, yet Jesus is always looking or searching for an open heart where the Living Word of God (Jesus Himself) could find lodging. The apostle Paul for example and speaking of his religious credentials said that before Christ set him apart from this religion that he was the envy of all Pharisees, see Philippians 3:4-8. All religion is the master-mind of Satan and God understands that it is nothing more than idolatry which He hates.

There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, John 3:1. This man’s heart was open, in other words he strove to have a good conscience before God and man just as the apostle Paul. When he came to Jesus by night, he came with this report; “Rabbi, we KNOW that You are a Teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.”

Now if all of the Pharisees knew this! So then the question we must ask is, “why didn’t the others come as well?” My answer is simple, they were only half-heartedly interested in Jesus, they enjoyed being stubborn, emotional and reckless with their soul. The soul of Nicodemus was living fully in all his heart, burning within Him to know more about Jesus whom he knew had come from God. One song writer wrote this pose. “More about Jesus would I know, more of His saving fullness see” and these are the thoughts of all who use their whole heart.

As the conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus progressed we can see that Nicodemus after asking just three questions became aware in his soul with the words of the LORD. “You must be born from above” like Nicodemus we must see Jesus as our Savior from sin and death, our soul is willing to receive Him, but we must be willing to use our heart to respond to the message. A message that most all of us in the United States of America has heard. “You must be born again” John 3:16 This is a miracle for those who put their faith in Jesus.

It is His sacrificial Death and His supernatural Resurrection that when believed does not develop into a religion, but it will become a personal and loving relationship with the one and only God who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Jesus Christ, see John 1:1-5 and 14:6. Nicodemus was able to comprehend the message of God to all mankind. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” see John 3:16.

Now if this man was able to strip himself of his religious upbringing, just as the apostle Paul did, what might I ask is holding you back? It is your heart and YOU know it.