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The Heart Of The Matter


The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)

          I did not choose this morning’s topic, but it’s one near and dear to mine. First, let’s review what Jeremiah will have meant by heart because that’s the first level of deception we face today. According to Professor of Literature C. S. Lewis, the ancients associated the heart with the will. I’m inclined to agree because cœur is French for heart and it is the base from which we get the word courage. Courage is doing something in spite of the feeling of fear, which means it involves the will, not feelings. 
         When we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strengths, God isn’t talking about our feelings at all. He’s talking about with every ounce of intention and will, with every fiber of our being, with every thought, and with all we’ve got.  
          Some may think that leaving the emotions out of the equation destroys love, but the reality is that emotions are good followers, but bad leaders. If we love with all those other things, we’ll love with our emotions, too. If we love with our emotions, we’re sailing into dangerous waters. 
          But, today’s scripture says that the heart is deceitful. Doesn’t that mean that the emotions are a better guide? Not according to the greatest commandment. It leaves emotions out of the list. The fact is that the heart, the mind, the soul, and the emotions are fallen. Some folks like to claim that we have a “spark of divinity,” something in us that is not corrupted by the fall or our individual sins. Such is not the case. Every part of us is tainted. We are the “Promised Land” that must be conquered, and like Joshua, we need to destroy utterly those who live in the land because if we do not, they will destroy us. There are lots of villages who worship the will, and towns that worship the emotions, and cities that worship thought. They must be put to the torch. No hostages. 
         It’s easy to do something that doesn’t turn out the way we wanted and say, “Oh, I meant well.” Or “My heart was in the right place.” What Daniel Webster said comes to mind: 
          Good intentions will always be pleaded for any assumption of power. The  
     Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good  
     intentions. There are men in all ages who mean to govern well, but they mean to
     govern. They promise to be good master,[sic] but they mean to be master[sic].
This is why we must not trust our hearts.

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