HEART AND SOUL
Bernadette Keene
Today’s Scripture: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.” Deuteronomy 10:12, NIV
Theme: God is Master of our hearts and souls.
THE HEART
“Follow your heart” is common advice that is often offered with good intentions. However, when someone encourages us to follow our hearts, they advise us to act based on desire and feelings rather than truth. To follow your own heart means to allow your emotions to dictate your choices, which is in opposition to what God tells us in His Word - “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” (Jeremiah 17:9, NLT). Do not lose heart, though. God created emotions, and He created us in His own image – meaning He has emotions, too! The heart of who we are is temporary; that is why it is so volatile and easily manipulated. The heart is linked to the world, and without Jesus, susceptible to corruption. When we instead allow the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom and discernment, we can choose to honor God with our hearts by responding to emotional situations in a way that honors Him.
THE SOUL
The soul, like the heart, is a part of us that is not physical. It is the part of us that lasts eternally after the body passes away. The soul is created by God and is distinct from the heart. While the heart of who we are passes away with the body, the soul is the part of us that is sealed when we trust Jesus as our Savior. Our soul will be with Jesus in Heaven one day, or it will not. That decision is left up to each soul. God wants us all to be with Him, but just as the gift of salvation is given freely, God also gives us the choice as to whether we accept the gift. God wants us to choose to love Him; He will not force that decision on us. While we are here on Earth, we trust Jesus as our Savior, and He will help us to be able to honor Him with both our hearts and our souls.
Make It Personal: As the Christmas season approaches and I meditate on what it looks like offer the entirety of who I am to God, it makes me think of Mary, the mother of Jesus. A young girl who, despite the challenges that she would face, chose God and His will over an easier path. She knew what people would say about her and what could happen, and yet she humbly submitted to God’s plan, magnifying the Lord with all of heart and her soul. I pray that I will follow her example and have a humble and obedient heart, whatever the Lord may ask of me.
Pray: Lord, I pray whatever challenges I may face that I will choose to magnify You with all my heart and soul. Help me process my emotions, my heart, in ways that honor You and magnify and honor You. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.
Read: Luke 1:46-56
Weekly Memory Verse: “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” Psalm 8:1, ESV