All About The Heart

A lot went down on the Bachelorette (07.15.19 episode) and I guess I’d say I have a heart for some things that were brought up. I feel called to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) no matter what the world may say or what people think...I think maybe that’s why Jesus told us to take heart (John 16:33). Because it’s all about the heart. God knows our heart—amen to that (Luke 16:15). But I think we need to know what God has to say about our heart and what we are to do with this knowledge.

God through His Son Jesus Christ gave us His Holy Spirit (upon confession and belief in His Son-check out Ephesians 1:11-14)-which writes the Law on our Heart (Romans 2:15 & Romans 10:5-21). It shows us the Word of God which is given so that we can evaluate the heart and matters of the heart (Matthew 6:21). And whether we care to admit it our not, out from our heart springs the issues of life (interlinear, Hebrew-English translation of Proverbs 4:23).

It breaks my heart how things of the Bible are taken out of context and can be used to justify one’s own beliefs, instead of letting the Bible be the basis of our beliefs. No one is righteous not even one (Romans 3:10-12)—and since any righteousness is based on the Righteousness of Jesus we must then look to the manner that Christ walked in order to know the manner in which a Christian (someone who is “like Christ”) ought to walk (1 John 2:6).

Now, I’m not saying that Christians are going to look like Christ in every facet of life—I most certainly don’t and I know others don’t always either. Being a Christian is being aware that you’re a sinner saved by grace, not by works so that anyone can boast (Ephesians 2:1-10).

But let us not forget that grace is grace because we deserve the punishment for our sinful behavior and heart-posture, yet get what Jesus deserves instead of what our sin deserves (Romans 3:21-31). The beauty of the gospel is that in Christ we don’t get what we deserve (Romans 5). Yet, grace is not an excuse to sin whenever we please (Romans 6).

All throughout scripture there are warnings for those pursuing righteousness (e.g. the Book of Proverbs). Biblically speaking, the way of righteousness is the path of life (Proverbs 12:28), and the way of Jesus (John 14:6), following Jesus (John 8:12), is your life (Colossians 3:4).

It’s not about how close we can get to the fence of sin without crossing it, it’s about faithfully seeking after Jesus with our everything (Romans 12:1), realizing while we WILL fall and trip along the way, that we are ultimately seeking THE way, which is Jesus, (and thus His teachings John 14) over A way, which is of the world.

And the thing about following Jesus is, it’s about self-denial (Matthew 16:24)—it’s about submitting and recognizing the need to submit to our Lord Jesus, because of the belief in our heart that God raised Him from the dead after dying to pay the ransom for our sins (Romans 10). It’s the reality of struggling with sin, NOT seeking sin. It’s huge (Check our Romans 7 for a more detailed example of seeking sin vs. struggling with sin).

I’m not here to say I do this perfectly. And yet, the Lord reminds me that when your heart has been checked and the truth of the matter still remains (Matthew 7:5)... it means that Truth is still truth no matter how culture tries to look through the eyes of the viewfinder (Romans 12:2).

The reality is, I’m not here to judge or cast a stone on what happened on the show. I wasn’t there and tbh who knows what scenes were cut out and what was pieced together. As a visual storyteller I’m aware how the way one tells a story can change the entire meaning of the events. I’m not going to be presumptuous to think I understand it fully.

Yet, I do know from just reading scripture that basing decisions off of what we “think” is right and being wise in our own eyes over looking to what God and the Word has to say is one of the most slippery stops to travel on (Proverbs 3:7).

It’s NOT about who did right and who did wrong. It’s about looking at the path of holiness and looking at what circumstance aligns with the Lord and reflects the nature of Jesus (who did call people out—Matthew 10:34) and the character of God (who is righteous and just even in all of His mercy — Psalm 116:5).

To all my fellow Bachelorette and Bachelor viewers, these shows and the culture that so heavily infuriates and propels Christianity today is elusive and potentially deceptive (1 John 2:17, 2 Corinthians 10:3, 1 Timothy 6:7-8, James 4, and many more). Let us look not to fellow sinners in order to know how to walk better like Our Lord and Savior (1 Corinthians 3:18, 1 John 2). Let us instead look to scripture, truly press into it in full in order to check our heart which addresses our behavior instead of justifying ourselves by relying on our interpretation of the Lord’s character (2 Peter 3).

Scriptures to consider from the Word of God:

“What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written:

“None is righteous, no, not one;
11 no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.”

- Romans 3:9-12 (ESV)

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

- John 14:12-17 (ESV)