Needed Heart Check

I had lunch with my friend and techie dudette Lisa Boyd this week, and that girl is a blessing on so many levels. Not only did she fix some of my more aggrevating computer issues with a few strokes on my laptop, she left me with something to think about for a while.

We were talking about ministry and the difficulties with fees, marketing and promotion. We had great back and forth for a while (she hates to have any body pay her for her genius, but you'd better if you get her info from my post!!) when finally she said, "Well, what I really look at is the heart."

Simple. And right to the heart of the matter if you'll excuse my cliche.

It's not only true for speakers, writers and people in vocational ministry, since we're ALL called into ministry, we all need continuous heart-checks to make sure our motivations stay pure.

There's the famous story of Samuel going to look for the new king of Israel to replace Saul, who had violated God's Word and will. He went to Jesse's house to look over his sons and was drawn to the oldest and tallest, but God said, "But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (I Samuel 16:7)

As God is want to do when He's trying to get my attention, He repeated Himself. After talking with Lisa, I was doing some heart-checking and thinking about how much navel gazing I do. Through John Piper's book Don't Waste You Life, He continued to speak to me about my heart and true heart-change. Piper insists that true heart and life-change comes from the correct focus--not on ourselves and our change but rather on God Himself.

He gives the example of looking out at the stars and feeling insignificant--"It is about the greatness of God, not the significance of man. God made man small and the universe big to say something about himself. And he says it for us to learn and enjoy--namely, that he is infinitely great and powerful and wise and beautiful....The Point is not to nullify us but to glorify him."

Our hearts. The heart of the matter.

Lord, help me to focus my wandering, often self-focused heart directly on You. Let that focus glorify You in everything I do including letting people know about ministry. More of You, Jesus, less of me.