“Come Into My Heart, Lord Jesus”

Hello Friends,

Brrrrrrrr…it certainly is cold outside! I was looking at the weather for this upcoming week and I saw that the weather forecast is predicting temperatures in the single digits at night and temperatures only reaching the mid-teens during the day. That is just too cold, especially if there isn’t any snow on the ground. Speaking of snow, I did hear that we have a chance of snow for the near future! I guess ole Mr. Punxsutawney Phil was correct…we have six more weeks of winter. Brrrrr…. I hope you stay warm and stay healthy.

Today, I want to talk about the heart. Do you have a heart? Do you know where your heart is? Do you know what your heart does? I did some research about our heart, and this is what I found out. According to UnityPoint Health, you heart can weigh between 7 to 15 ounces; a newborn’s heart rate is around 70 to 190 beats per minute; your heart is located in the middle of your chest but is tilted to the left which is why you can feel your heart beating on the left side of your chest more than on the right side of your chest; the average healthy human heart beats around 100,000 times a day; and it pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood which travels about 12,000 miles through your body each and every day as it passes through about 60,000 miles of blood vessels.[1] Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, sneezing does not stop your heart nor does it make it “skip a beat” although it could briefly change your heart’s rhythm; and laughing is good for the heart causing your blood vessels to relax which sends 20% more blood through your body.[2] The heart is truly a miraculous wonder!

This is all fascinating research, but what does the heart have to do with what Jesus teaches us? Well, let me explain. Ms. Emily and I enjoy taking walks around the lake in Oblong. Sometimes on our walk, we will find a coin on the path or just snuggled in the freshly cut grass. If it is a penny, we might not even bother stop to pick it up. After all, a penny isn’t worth much. Now if we find some other coin that is worth more than a penny, we will probably stop, pick it up and put it in our pockets so we can donate it to the children’s fund at church. If we are really lucky and find a dollar, do you think we would stop and pick it up? You know we would! And I bet so would you! But what does this have to do with the heart?

You and I sometimes look at other people and form an opinion about them by how much money they have. If there is a child in your class at school whose parents have a lot of money, is that child treated better than others in the class? If there is someone who doesn’t have much and can’t afford to wear nice clothes, are they treated the same as those who have a lot of money? When we see a homeless person on the street, do we look at that person the same way we look at someone who lives in a big, fancy house? Believe it our not, money talks and it says a lot about certain people. However, we are taught that money isn’t everything and it certainly isn’t something that should cause us to look at someone in a judging way.

In today’s lesson, we will see the way Jesus looks at people and hopefully, it will change the way we look at people as well, maybe even changing our heart.

One day, Jesus and his disciples were sitting at the temple, watching people drop their money in the offering box. As they watched, they saw some who were rich put in large amounts of money. The disciples were very impressed to see the large offerings the rich people gave. Then along came a poor widow. She put just a small amount into the box. When Jesus saw her, he called his disciples together and said, “This poor widow has given more than all the others have given. For they have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”

When we give our offerings of money or time or talent to God, he doesn’t compare our offerings to those of other people. Some of us have more time or more money than others to begin with. God looks at what we have to start with, and God looks at the attitude we have about giving. When we give with a generous and thankful heart, God is pleased with us and happy. I am glad that God doesn’t judge us by how much money we have, aren’t you? When we give, God looks at our heart, which means that God is looking at the reason to why we give and to see if we are giving in the same way that Jesus would give. Scripture tells us, in 1 Samuel, that God doesn’t look at the outer appearance of someone but looks at their heart–what is happening inside of them, the very place where Jesus lives.

Today, I want you to remember the poor widow who gave all that she had. Although she only gave two pennies, she gave out of her heart: she gave out of love and knowing that what she gave was the best that she could do. Our heart is what God looks at: it’s our heart that truly tells God what it is we are doing, why we are doing something, and how we are feeling. The heart is so important to God, that God placed his Son in our heart to live with us each and every day.

Before you go to bed, I invite you to say this prayer: “Into my heart, into my heart; come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today, come in to stay. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus.” I sang these words many years ago and I am still singing them today. (If you want to hear me singing the song, click on this link: https://youtu.be/u75o7qqgoJ4) Remember, your heart means everything to God. Give what you can, help whomever you can, and love all you can so that God knows your heart is full of Jesus.

Let us Pray: Heavenly Father, we are thankful that you judge us by what is in our heart and not by what is in our bag or by what we look like. We pray that we will look at others in the same way that you look at us. Jesus, come into our heart today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Your Friend, Holy Spirit!

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[1] https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/16-surprising-facts-about-your-heart-infographic

[2] https://www.unitypoint.org/news-and-articles/16-surprising-facts-about-your-heart-infographic