Why heart posture matters
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"My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways." —Proverbs 23:26
Growing in Christlikeness requires the Christian to properly posture their heart before God. In pursuit of spiritual maturity, it's very natural to move into action or knowledge consumption. Serving in the church, Bible reading, studying theology, and going on mission trips are all visible growth opportunities that we should consider and do.
The less obvious growth opportunity lies within—the heart. Scripture indicates that the heart is paramount to one's spiritual growth. Jesus even refers to the "heart" in the Great Commandment:
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. This is the great and first commandment." Matthew 22:37-38
Oftentimes, pastors, churches, theologians, members, and others can equate spiritual maturity solely to Bible and theological knowledge. However, the Scriptures start with the heart and stay at the heart as knowledge is gained. In fact, the Proverbs constantly correlate the heart with knowledge and instruction. The authors of the
Proverbs speak of knowledge, instruction, and wisdom in direct correlation to the heart.
"An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." —Proverbs 18:15
"Apply your heart to instruction and your ear to words of knowledge." —Proverbs 23:12
The book of Proverbs in the Bible is wisdom literature. Its purpose is to impart wisdom and give instruction to the upcoming generation on how to live a flourishing life. In the book of Proverbs, the word "heart" is mentioned 79 times. "Heart" is in all but four of its thirty-one chapters.
What is the significance of this recurrent word, "heart"? According to Solomon and the few other anonymous authors of the Proverbs, knowledge, instruction, and wisdom are inseparable from the heart.
Proper heart posture appropriately directs knowledge into right behavior and godly application.
The crossroads of heart posture
Depending upon one's heart posture, wisdom can be made useful or useless, helpful or harmful. Improper heart posture inappropriately directs knowledge into wrong behavior and sinful application.
Many people know the Bible well yet live unchanged lives. Why? A person's heart posture matters. Accumulating knowledge without a proper heart posture leads to dangerously deceiving and treacherous roads for the Christian. It self-deceives the Christian who is constantly around things of God, yet not necessarily with Him. It determines our trajectory for spiritual growth and regulates our nearness to God.
Even Jesus said, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person." Everything starts, stems, and proceeds from the heart. Heart posture matters.
On the other hand, taking action by doing an abundance of Christian activities can become pseudo-spirituality as well. The Pharisees, religious leaders in the New Testament times, are a prime example. (See Matthew 23:1-36 for more on the Pharisees.)
Service without a heart of delight is a busybody that buries itself in spiritual misery instead of building up into spiritual maturity.
When we continually serve without delight or enjoyment, our road ends in spiritual misery. There are many busybodies that serve far more than other churchgoers, but a casual observer would think they dislike it. Service without a grateful heart to do God's work is never pretty on the outside. It's confusing to those who witness these individuals.
Are there times that we will work without genuine delight in our service to others and, ultimately, God? Yes, most certainly, but it doesn't mean we should stop serving. Rather, it means we should also cry out for God to stir our desires, increase our affections, and intensify our heart's yearning for more of Him. It means we keep conforming in dutiful service until God transforms us into experiencing delightful service.
All this comes in waves as we enter differing circumstances from one wave to the next. Ultimately, let us have a heart of delightful service in gratitude for the gift of serving God.
 | Adam Erlichman is a Pastor, Consultant, and Best-Selling Author with Build Groups, LLC. He has served on various church staffs in Executive, Life Groups, Discipleship, Young Adult and Youth ministries and has written assessments, training processes, and resources including Group Leader Training. Adam serves on the Southern Baptist Texas Convention (SBTC) Discipleship Team/Board and occasionally blogs for the Small Group Network. He also guest speaks on podcasts such as Everyday Theologian and disciple FIRST. Learn More » |
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