God sees not as man
sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the
heart" (1 Sam. 16:7). "You are our letter, written in our
hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of
Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living
God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts"(2 Cor. 3:3).
"There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot
be filled by any created thing, but only by God..." Blaise
Pascal
Hey Gang: It
is always a surprise and great boast to ones ego when they find something that
they have used for years quoted by someone who is much smarter. I have
used the ‘vacuum’ illustration for many years with the boys under my care, for
it is something they can clearly understand.
If we had
unlimited space, I could list fifty or so references on the importance of
the heart being connected to God. In Psalm 51 we feel the agony of David,
a contrite sinner who was seeking God's pardon. He cried out, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast
spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take
your Holy Spirit from me:" (vs. 10-11).
The following
description of the vacuum-sized hole in the heart showed up on Face book.
It stated this vacuum does not get filled with the promise of heaven; It
does not get filled by assenting to creeds about God; It is not filled
with a moral life, nor political rightness, superiority, a climb up the
corporate ladder or the gaining of reputation or wealth; It is not filled
with promises or self denial.
Nor by straining to
get more of anything, nor sufficient discipline or cynical hipness, it has
nothing to do with being right or what you like or dislike or what you stand
against; it is not filled with self-actualized, self-adored,
self-entitlement. There are no formulas, techniques, steps or patterns
that will give you the peace that surpasses human understanding.
Filling this vacuum
comes only by enjoying the Christ It is accepting and trusting Christ
with every molecule of my being. It is filled with the astonishing
apprehension that I am righteous, holy, beloved, worthy enough, adored,
forgiven, favored, and loved beyond human measure - on my worst day. It
is the realization that God loved me so much he sent His only Son to die on a
hideous cross that I might be set free from the bondage of my sins.
Sooooo, perhaps
most important, my vacuum is filled when I grow weary of try and do it my way
and force him to comply to my wishes. And when I surrender to His will
and ways and follow Paul's advice and die to self, put off all those things
that offend our Abba Father, and fill the vacuum with the things that bring
honor and Glory to Him ( Col 3) and, most important, let Him by the pilot
(not co-pilot) of my lives.
Blessing,
Gramps
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