God Looks For Worthy Hearts - Psalms 132-134 and I Corinthians 11:17-34
Man looks on the outward appearance, but God looks on the heart. When God examines our hearts, He is looking for worthy hearts. In other words, God has a standard. There are certain things He looks for when He looks into our hearts. If we meet His standard, we are worthy of His blessing. If we fail to have a heart that meets His standard, we are unworthy of His blessing. Let's take a few minutes and examine our own hearts today.
In Psalm 132 the psalmist commended King David for having a worthy heart. David's heart could not rest until he had provided a place for the Lord to dwell. David so desired to build the Temple for the Lord, because his heart was set on worshiping God. He did not build the Temple, because God said that He wanted David's son to build it, but David set aside most of the materials for the construction and he prepared the way for the construction as much as he could. God blessed David for his heart of worship, and he promised to keep a descendant of David on the throne, as long as his descendants had worthy hearts, too. A heart of worship is an important part of God's standard for a worthy heart. Also, unity among believers is essential for a worthy heart. Psalm 133 emphasizes this aspect of being worthy before God. Finally, Psalm 134 shows us that God honors those who persevere for Him. The psalm speaks of those who stand in the Temple at night. They had worshiped God all day, but they had a heart that would not quit focusing on the Lord. All of these qualities are part of having a worthy heart. How is your heart when you examine it for these elements?
I Corinthians 11 ends with a discussion of the Lord's Supper in the church at Corinth. God told them through Paul that He was not pleased with their hearts or their actions when they came for worship. They were not set on worshiping God. They were eating and getting drunk. They did not care about others who did not have enough food. There was no unity among the believers. They did not persevere, but they rushed through the Lord's Supper even before some people arrived. This was a terrible situation. God judged their hearts to be unworthy, and He caused some of them to be sick and others to die, because they fell so short of His standard. I believe the Lord does the same thing today. We need to ask the Spirit to reveal any unworthy thing in our hearts and to remove it. We need to make sure that we have hearts that are set on worship, unity, and perseverance. Then, God can truly bless us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 135-136 and I Corinthians 12.
In Psalm 132 the psalmist commended King David for having a worthy heart. David's heart could not rest until he had provided a place for the Lord to dwell. David so desired to build the Temple for the Lord, because his heart was set on worshiping God. He did not build the Temple, because God said that He wanted David's son to build it, but David set aside most of the materials for the construction and he prepared the way for the construction as much as he could. God blessed David for his heart of worship, and he promised to keep a descendant of David on the throne, as long as his descendants had worthy hearts, too. A heart of worship is an important part of God's standard for a worthy heart. Also, unity among believers is essential for a worthy heart. Psalm 133 emphasizes this aspect of being worthy before God. Finally, Psalm 134 shows us that God honors those who persevere for Him. The psalm speaks of those who stand in the Temple at night. They had worshiped God all day, but they had a heart that would not quit focusing on the Lord. All of these qualities are part of having a worthy heart. How is your heart when you examine it for these elements?
I Corinthians 11 ends with a discussion of the Lord's Supper in the church at Corinth. God told them through Paul that He was not pleased with their hearts or their actions when they came for worship. They were not set on worshiping God. They were eating and getting drunk. They did not care about others who did not have enough food. There was no unity among the believers. They did not persevere, but they rushed through the Lord's Supper even before some people arrived. This was a terrible situation. God judged their hearts to be unworthy, and He caused some of them to be sick and others to die, because they fell so short of His standard. I believe the Lord does the same thing today. We need to ask the Spirit to reveal any unworthy thing in our hearts and to remove it. We need to make sure that we have hearts that are set on worship, unity, and perseverance. Then, God can truly bless us.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Psalms 135-136 and I Corinthians 12.