Diagnosing the Condition of the Heart

Photo: Untitled © Alyssa

At my last physical, my doctor ordered blood work done, and with that came four pages of results. The blood work showed that I needed to make some changes in my diet and exercise. This is news we all hate to hear when we go to the doctor, but news we need to hear so we can make changes to our lifestyles. Like most, the news come with the fear of what could happen, but then days later I settled back to reality to make the appropriate changes needed.

There is another diagnostics of the heart that is needed in all of us besides the one we receive at our doctor's office, and that diagnoses comes from 1 Corinthians 13.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13 says

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

We have heard this quoted at every wedding we have ever been too and unfortunately that is all we see in this chapter, a nice quote to start of a marriage. When Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13 he didn't have a wedding ceremony in mind, but rather a rebuke. Paul was confronting the church of Corinth in how they loved one another, and the chapter does the same for us. To do this we have to put it in proper perspective. When you read the chapter do not let your mind wonder to your wedding or one you attended, but let it sink into your heart to diagnose your love for others. One way to do this is to remove the word love and replace it with your name.

So reread 1 Corinthians again

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. (your name) is patient, (your name)  is kind. (your name) does not envy, (your name) does not boast, (your name)  is not proud. (your name)  is not rude, (your name)  is not self-seeking, (your name)  is not easily angered, (your name) keeps no record of wrongs. (your name) does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. (your name)  always protects, (your name)  always trusts, (your name) always hopes, (your name) always perseveres. (your name)  never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

So how is the diagnosis of your heart? Even though the physical heart is very important, the condition of your love is very important also. Unfortunately when I read 1 Corinthians this way I can see I did better with the condition of the physical heart than I did with my love for others. However, with any diagnoses there can be good news. It is not too late to change, I know we all have tried to change our heart on our own and have failed. The good news is that if we have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior then we have to Holy Spirit to direct us in how to change, if we rely on Him. For those who don't know Him as Lord and Savior it is not too late to make that change. He is waiting for you.

So what is the condition of your heart? The four pages of results from my doctor came with changes that needed to be made, also with 1 Corinthians 13 changes need to be made. Are you willing to make changes with loving others as you would if your doctor warns you about your physical health?

What to Do

There is a problem with the words deeper or a higher life when it comes to our faith. There is nothing wrong with deepening of our faith, like a plant’s roots growing deeper into the soil. But when these words are used it usually means to seek our spiritual growth through other means that aren’t biblical.

We usually look for something or someone to grow us; like listening to the right teacher, a charismatic preacher, go to a dynamic church or read the latest popular Christian book. Believing these things are going to change us, but year after year we chase after something or someone who we believe will develop us. But when we look back, we are probably at the same place we were before, we might have more knowledge, but deep down we are still the same person. 

The problem is not the teacher, preacher, church or the author. The problem is within us, we are called to do the same as those who teach us, and that is if they are truly serving God, not promoting themselves. No teacher, preacher or any other person cannot give us their faith. So we must do the work, just as others have before us, it is something that is the easiest and at the same time the hardest thing to do. And that is we must surrender.