Jeremiah 17:10 – “I the LORD search the heart and try the reins, and give every man according to his ways and according to the fruits of his doings.”

The love of God is like a blazing fire, giving both heat and light.   I thank God for each of you; His gifts are great treasures.    He gives us people to help us navigate life’s difficult and calm seas with overflowing joy.  Joy is rooted in the choice that is anchored in Him.

As I read, prayed, pondered, and meditated on the Word today, a strong word was impressed upon my heart.  That is the heart and total surrender and obedience!   That is more expansive than I can elucidate adequately in a brief text.

Jeremiah 17:5 & 7 The LORD gave the prophet two paths. 

• The curse for placing confidence in anything other than God. 
• The blessing of trusting God and making Him our hope.

Unpacking that is far more detailed than what I sense I am to share.   If God searches the heart, nothing is undiscoverable or remains obscure.  It is clearly visible to God and us.  We may deny it, but we see it—the true heart.

The reins on a horse guide his direction.  What guides our lives?  Desire, motivation, ambition, preference, perception, belief?   What? God rewards or deposits in us according to our ways.  Ways are routes, roads, or paths, but they signify motive and intent.  God responds to what causes us to be and think what we do. 

The fruits (plural) of our doings (practiced lifestyle) bring God’s response.    Remember, we receive either a curse or a blessing.   There is no ambivalence or ambiguity in God.   In Matthew 3:8-9, this is brought into focus.

John the Baptizer said to those at the baptismal ceremony, “You must prove your repentance by a changed life.  9 And don’t presume you can get away with merely saying to yourselves, but we are Abraham’s descendants!” A truly repentant heart includes and reflects a changed life, outlook, and motivation. It is not just words (e.g.)—I believe—it is evidenced by transformation.

The tug at my heart was and is evidenced by repentance.   God does not desire, nor will He accept verbal assent; he requires total surrender that transforms.   A transformed heart exhibits the heart of Jesus.  Its ways reflect Love and Forgiveness without restrictions.

Love, God’s love, is unconditional and transformational.

Jeremiah 21:8 – “…I have set before you the way of life and the way of death.”   The path we choose is measurably reflected in our lives.

My cry, “LORD, help me to totally surrender my life to You.  Help me to be a living example of a transformed life walking out the demonstrated love of God.   I want to be a visible manifestation of You on this earth.  Not my will, but Yours.  Help me give up my pain for Your Joy so I can infect others with Your love and grace.  I want to die to me so I can truly live.  Amen!”

Today, we each need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He searches our hearts, motives, perceptions, preferences, and purposes.   If we totally surrender, He will manifest Himself in us fully, and we will become who we are and do what He did.   You are powerful, limited only by your hesitation.   Today, right now, is our day!

Have a fantastic day in Jesus, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit as He searches the heart!