Control Center: centrality of the heart

You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

Matthew 12:34

We do what we do because we want what we want, and we want what we want because of what is in our hearts. Outward actions do not show themselves from a vacuum. They flow from the heart… from the inner person to the outer life… from the seat of the mind, will, and emotions will rise up all the activities of every day of our lives. We speak our words from that center. We relate to people from the heart. We do our actions motivated by what we commit to internally and are driven by what we desire from within.

Jesus clearly taught this on multiple occasions. It was a root teaching for the citizens of His kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, emphasizing heart change over outward conformity to the law. And in this passage, Jesus talks about the centrality of the heart as a way to explain why some people opposed Him. For humans, the heart is the control center. And it is born with a serious sin defect in each one of us that keeps us from easily adopting holy motivations. Jesus must change the heart for us to be better.

Heart struggles with sin will inevitably lead me in wrong ways even today. Sinful expectations of personal pleasure, or desires for selfish motivations, or just plain lazy selfish motivations will all raise up in my heart. And out of these unfortunately all too abundant wrong motivations I may speak, or do, something quite wrong. It is why I need regular prayer, regular confession of sin to God and to other believers, and the work of the Holy Spirit to most importantly renew my thinking and change my perspective in the Word of God!

Jesus,

You see and know this heart. You redeemed it. You will change me as I forsake what is dark and twisted for the bright and straight way of Your Word! Change my heart, O Savior!

Amen