He Wants Our Hearts

God Wants Our Hearts, Brokenness and Sin, a prayer by Scotty Ward Smith

That is why the Lord says, “Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts. Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead.” Return to the Lord your God, for he is merciful and compassionate, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. He is eager to relent and not punish. Joel 2:12-13 (NLT)

Dear heavenly Father, yet again, your love has fueled our grief, and your kindness now leads us to repentance. Because the gospel it true, we hate our sin, not ourselves; and we groan in grace, rather than groveling in contempt. There is no other god like you—so holy and so merciful, so welcoming and so eager to redeem, so patient and so filled with unfailing love. Hear our confession.

• We confess that we under-believe the gospel and over-trust in ourselves
• We confess binging on fear and worry, rather than feasting on your grace and sovereignty
• We confess thinking more about how people disappoint and fail us, than how we might love and serve them
• We confess hoarding our brokenness and weakness, rather than letting friends enter our pain and suffering.
• We confess indulging irritation and justifying our resentment, rather than forbearing with others and forgiving as Jesus has forgiven us.

Have mercy on us, Father, have mercy on me. If you dealt with us according to our sins, we could not stand. If you repaid us for all our transgressions, we would despair forever.

But our hope is sure; for it is built on nothing less, nothing more, and nothing other than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. We bless you, Father, for the gift of Jesus—for his perfect life lived for us, and his judgment-exhausting death on the cross. Though we remain broken, we cannot be more beloved. You will finish the work you began in us. So very Amen we pray, in Jesus’ merciful and mighty name.

Heart Guarding for Guys

Blogger "Jamie the Very Worst Missionary" has some wise words for guys on guarding our hearts.  Wise words, even if stated in her usual humorous and self-depreciating manner. Speaking of Proverbs 4:23 she concludes:

When I look around the church, when I talk amongst my friends, when I peek into the world - I see men who are broken and hurting, men tied to their addictions, men out of control, men drowning in lust, so many men longing for peace and grace and mercy, and in desperate need of restoration for their tattered and broken hearts. Hearts that have gone unguarded for far too long. And I want to break this verse like an alabaster jar over their brows. I want to pour out the perfume of Redemption on their lives. I want to release the words of Solomon to his sons, that they may be free to take up their spears and stand guard over their own hearts, because their hearts are worthy of the effort.... above all else....

"Above all else, guard your heart, 

for it is the wellspring of life."

...Above all else..... above all else.... above all else..... guard your heart, Bro. 

Much more at the link.

Remove All Obstacles

When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts.
                                                –St. Charles Borromeo

Elizabeth Scalia, aka The Anchoress, posted the following advent meditation on the above quote.

All obstacles; what can they be?

Ask the question and people’s first answers will always be: “my sinfulness, my stubbornness…”

But the obstacles we place before His Majesty don’t always have to be what we would consider our negatives. Other obstacles to his presence might be the pride we take in our housekeeping, or our work; our beloved “principles” and our studied “opinions.” Other obstacles might even be our families, or our love of country – any love that is so passionate that it supersedes all else, and perhaps comes before Him.

Obstacles are the things we cling to so much, out of love, that they take up the room He requires to bring the fullness of His divine, pure and unfathomable Presence into us.

We must love. Love is a good thing. But there must be just enough detachment in our love as to let God move within us, freely and unimpeded, forward to our very core. He will use every inch of our hearts, every inch of our minds, every inch of our souls; His Majesty will expand them and enlarge them as He wills–and always to our benefit–if only we will first give Him some room.

And then, when our beings are enlarged, and permeated with Him, our love for all things, including those which we hold most dear, will be all the sweeter to us–and that much deeper–but never in a manner the least idolatrous.

 The Anchoress blog is wonderful - everyone should read it!