New Girl
As time went on some cracks started to show
Reference: The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. (Psalm 14:1 NIV)
Explore: Many years back I was attending a church that attracted the young adults from the surrounding area. One Sunday a new girl came to check out our church to see if it could be a good faith community for her. Mandy was loud and vivacious and quickly became the new friend of everyone who was anyone.
While I joined in on the new social interaction, I felt there wasn’t something quite right with Mandy’s enthusiasm. She always seemed to say the right thing to begin with, but as time went on some cracks started to show.
I noticed that her actions on the surface weren’t always in line with the words she would speak. And when she was behind closed doors she became quite gossipy and malicious.
What had started out as an inkling soon became quite clear. Mandy was selfish at heart. She only looked out for what was best for her and had little regard for those who couldn’t give her what she wanted.
Application: We all have a certain facade that we put on in particular social settings, but if you spend any length of time with someone you will quickly start to see who they really are. We can maintain the outward appearance for a certain period of time but what is in our hearts soon becomes evident.
Mandy’s heart was not set on looking out for others. And while new people enjoyed her company they soon started to see what her real character was.
God sees our hearts better than anyone. He knows our intentions and recognises our behaviours straight away.
The nature of our hearts will always come through in the end. That’s why it’s so important to fill our hearts and minds with that which is good and holy, so that can be the expression of our lives as well.
Prayer: Lord, forgive me when I harbour selfish intentions within my heart. May I look to that which is loving and gracious so that I, too, can express that through my actions. Amen.
How can you purify your heart?
This article was written by Linda Bailey
Linda started theological studies in 1999 in Australia. After working for ten years in various church ministries, she now works as the breakfast producer at 89.9 LightFM - the Christian radio station in Melbourne, Australia. She writes blogs every day about passages she is currently reading in the Bible. Follow her on Google Plus +Linda Bailey or Facebook by clicking the like button on the right of this page.