Heart Prep
Exterior beauty, without the depth of a kind soul, is merely decoration. - April NakiaI ran across this quote in my Facebook feed. So many times I feel like I am caught up in what I look like, especially with Easter Sunday just around the corner. We want to find that perfect dress to wear, perfect hairstyle, and perfect accessories to complement everything so we look put together on this particular day. And girls, it is not wrong to want to look nice. (To see more on this, go to my post The Hard and Holy Thing)
These thoughts consuming our time, motives, and full attention, as I have described before, do not bring honor and glory to God, however. So here is what our subject is today: How can we push away those thoughts and focus on Christ and what He has done for us? Well, I have some points to share with you.
The focus needs to be turned away from ourselves.
The burdens that we are carrying need to be let go. Whether it's what this person thinks of us (remember, our identity is in Christ), a family issue, or something someone did, these need to be left at the feet of Jesus. When we carry baggage with us when we worship, it inhibits effective worship. Essentially, we get in the way of us growing in Christ when we worry about how things are going to turn out. God gives abounding grace and is so patient with us in our faults. But in Matthew 11:28-30 it says, "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."We need to prepare our hearts.
This is crucial. Perhaps the better question to ask is, how do we prepare our hearts?Prayer
This is probably the most important thing. We have been given a very special gift to be able to talk to God through Christ. We don't have to go to someone to mediate for us, we can go through Christ, our Mediator, and High Priest. Best of all, we can talk to God about anything and everything. Putting everything before Him not only eases our anxiety, but it also heals, comforts, and guides.
Reading the Bible
Spending time in the Word is never a bad thing. Whether you listen to it or read it, it is one of God's ways He speaks to us. Some verses that are relevant to this time where we celebrate the Resurrection are Isaiah 53, 1 Corinthians 15, and the accounts of the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ in all four gospels.Thoughts
We are told in Colossians 3 to "set our minds on things above." Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on these things." If we are constantly thinking about things that are not honorable, or impure, or not worthy of praise, we need to remove the cause of that thinking. I find that music plays a big part in how we think. If you normally listen to secular music, try switching to a Christian radio station for a couple days. Hearing songs about Christ not only sets your mind on the right track, but it makes you a happier person as a whole because we're not focusing on things we don't have.
Let's come back to our quote. We've gone through all of this talk of preparation for something, I promise. ; ) So, "Exterior beauty, without the depth of a kind soul, is merely decoration." How does this tie into the preparation of our hearts? Many verses in the Bible tell us that our heart directs how we speak (Matt 12:34). It is so easy for us to be caught up in the world that we forget to take a moment and care about other people. We are called to be witnesses for Christ, but how do you treat those you come in contact with daily? How do you treat strangers? Are you trying to make sure your actions point others to Christ?
The world today is becoming more and more scarce of people who have kind souls. Those who just want to show others that they care. While we can assume that most of those could be unsaved people, I feel as if we as Christians have not been doing our duty. When the world looks at us, we want them to see that we actually are different; and not just saying that we are, but acting on it.
So tomorrow is Easter. We are celebrating Christ haven risen from the dead, and it is entirely about Him. How will you show that to others? What can you do to strengthen your walk with Christ to be a better light to others? How will you prepare your heart to overflow with what God has done for you?
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Let's come back to our quote. We've gone through all of this talk of preparation for something, I promise. ; ) So, "Exterior beauty, without the depth of a kind soul, is merely decoration." How does this tie into the preparation of our hearts? Many verses in the Bible tell us that our heart directs how we speak (Matt 12:34). It is so easy for us to be caught up in the world that we forget to take a moment and care about other people. We are called to be witnesses for Christ, but how do you treat those you come in contact with daily? How do you treat strangers? Are you trying to make sure your actions point others to Christ?
The world today is becoming more and more scarce of people who have kind souls. Those who just want to show others that they care. While we can assume that most of those could be unsaved people, I feel as if we as Christians have not been doing our duty. When the world looks at us, we want them to see that we actually are different; and not just saying that we are, but acting on it.
So tomorrow is Easter. We are celebrating Christ haven risen from the dead, and it is entirely about Him. How will you show that to others? What can you do to strengthen your walk with Christ to be a better light to others? How will you prepare your heart to overflow with what God has done for you?
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