August 16 - Hearts Inclined to God

August 16 - Hearts Inclined to God
Deuteronomy 5:29

“Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever.”

The Tin Man wanted a heart so he could be human.  What he didn’t recognize was that humanity doesn’t always respond with a pure heart to the world.  God knew that.  When God created us, He placed a heart inside us and though it beats to keep blood pumping through our bodies for life, it became the source of knowledge of good and evil.  The heart of a person is more than just an organ which sustains life, it is the source of life.

When we hurt, we feel an ache in our chest, right where our heart should be located.  When we fall in love, we feel the flutter of excitement right there.  When we are nervous or excited, it seems as if our heart rate speeds up.  That source of life is tied to our emotional well-being.

The Tin Man thought that he needed to have a pumping heart inside his chest cavity in order to be human.  We know that all he needed was some compassion and love. Those things would show the world that his heart was immense!

God desires that our hearts be inclined to fear him – not to be afraid of him, but to come before him with reverence and awe, to recognize him as the Creator of everything and give him the respect that brings.  He desires that we keep his commandments.

He desires these things, not for selfish reasons, though he could if he wanted. He desires these things so that our lives might be full.

The Tin Man wanted a heart so that he could share love with the world.  He was already doing that.  He would find out that his life was very full.