A Heart Deceived
“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Jer. 17:9
I began yesterday so energetically. I arose two hours sooner in preparation for resuming home school. I enjoyed my morning devotional and hit the walking trail shortly after sun up. I had energy and zeal and a long to-do list. Even while working out I began sending messages to the people that I needed reports from to complete my work list in a timely fashion. I encouraged myself- yay! This is going to be a much easier month. I only have one support plan that is due. When I returned to my home office, I began the monthly task of writing my case notes. And then it hit me. I was wrong. I was all wrong. I was looking at the wrong month. And instead of being one of my lightest months of the year, it was one of my heaviest. All that prep? In vain. It was the wrong month! Having everyone jumping to send me reports? Needless. At least this month.
Zowee! Crash! Burn!!! I was disgusted at myself. And disgusted with a to-do list that seemed impossible to “to-done” yesterday. I had deceived myself by believing a lie.
There are so many people today that are fighting for a cause- sacrificing effort, and sometimes even their lives. Fighting the good fight- but for the wrong team. Spreading their faith- never knowing that they are shrouded in deception. They reach the top of their ladder, at the end of life, to find their ladder was propped against the wrong building all along. What a sad day it will be when they realize that all their efforts were in vain.
Sometimes when we see groups of people fighting against us. Fighting against Truth- it sparks anger and rage. Understandably so. But unproductive. What if, instead, we saw them through eyes of compassion and realize that they are well-intentioned, but misguided. What if, instead of warring against them, we sought to win them?
So many of the things in this life that we struggle to achieve and fight against have only temporary consequences. A higher bank balance. A slimmer waistline. Good things. But temporal things. What if we Christians became intentional about reaching even those who disagree with us? Not through militant revenge, but through love and the eyes of a loving Father who created them just as surely as He created us?
Are you willing to be used of God to reach even them? Are their areas in your life that you might be harboring deception?
Dear Lord, please guard us against being deceived. Let us see truth. Your Truth. Above all else. Ignite the right love and the right purposes within our hearts. Grant us a Kingdom perspective. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
What a powerful message, Sherri. I pray that God gives me the wisdom to reach out to the people that don’t know the Truth, the right way.