"How About Your Heart?"

Several years ago a minister by the name of Bennie Triplett wrote a song entitled, "How About Your Heart?"  (It's on page 296 in our Hymnal.)  The lyrics encourage the reader to check the condition of their heart concerning spiritual matters.

I have needed to do that very thing many times in my Christian experience.  There is such a variety of human and spiritual "tricks" that can be played on an unwary soul that it behooves us to regularly check things out with the Lord.

I've pastored people who feel they are so deeply spiritual that they don't need to go through this check out process.  Kudos to them!!  (To tell the truth, they were more wrong than right - but don't let them know I told you!!)

Just in case you're one of the "regular" kind of Christians (like me), I want to urge you to keep a good check on your "heart."  It is vital to your spiritual health.  Jesus taught that everything flowed from the "heart." 

The challenging reality is that no one can do this for us.  We can't make an appointment and have a doctor check out this "heart" and we can't make an emergency trip to the ER for help.  Three years ago I had two stents put in my heart.  The doctor told me that I was fortunate to have a small "window" of time to get to the hospital because I was in the process of having a heart attack. 

This check-up can only be performed by the individual.  It's a spiritual task that must be done on a regular basis.  Delaying or omiting this job guarantees spiritual problems.  If this "heart" is bad, everything else malfuntions.

The cares of life, disappointments, stresses, relationships and everything else affects us in some way spiritually.  We may be strengthened or weakened; encouraged or discouraged; elated or depressed; victorious or defeated.  But, in some way, we are affected!

So, as Wilfred Brimley says about checking your blood sugar, I say about checking your heart.  "Do it, and do it often!"  Don't just think everything is OK - Be certain.