God Knows Our Hearts
Sep 18, 2008
One of the duties that God gave to the Israelites during the Mosaic Law was to make animal sacrifices. When the Israelites carried this out, it made God happy. These sacrifices are described throughout the first three chapters of Leviticus as “a sweet aroma to the Lord.” God required sacrifices of His people and when those sacrifices were made, He was pleased. The exception to that rule was when the sacrifices were not made sincerely. Sacrifices made by people not interested in living righteous lives were not sweet to God (Jeremiah 6:20). Instead, they were an abomination to Him (Isaiah 1:11-13). God did want sacrifices from His people, but He wanted them to be made sincerely. He wanted them from people who were trying to please Him, not just appease Him.
Though the time of making animal sacrifices has ended (Hebrews 7:26+27), God still wants sincere effort from us. The Bible instructs us to do our work sincerely. Servants are told to obey their masters “in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:5+6). God understands the difference between just enough effort to look good and sincere effort. He doesn’t want us to obey Him just for the sake of appeasement. He wants us to love Him (Matthew 22:37). And He has given us ample reason to do so (1st John 4:19).
It is often not too difficult to convince people that we are making a good effort when really we are not. You can call your old friends just barely enough to convince them that you are still friends or you can work just barely hard enough to keep your manager off your back. We can fool people, but never God. God knows our hearts (1st John 3:18-21). He can reveal our secrets (1st Corinthians 4:5). As King David told his son Solomon in preparation for Solomon’s upcoming reign, “the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts” (1st Chronicles 28:9). God will know if we are taking for granted all that He has given us. He will know if we are trying to just barely put in enough effort to keep others off our backs. We may be accountable to our friends or our managers in some respects but, ultimately, we are accountable to God (Romans 14:12). And we aren’t going to be able to trick the God who will “reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1st Corinthians 4:5).
When it comes to our efforts to please God and obey His word, let’s be sincere. We will never be able to pull a fast one on the God who knows all our thoughts and intentions (Galatians 6:7+8). So let’s sincerely try to give Him the respect and obedience that He deserves.
Though the time of making animal sacrifices has ended (Hebrews 7:26+27), God still wants sincere effort from us. The Bible instructs us to do our work sincerely. Servants are told to obey their masters “in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart” (Ephesians 6:5+6). God understands the difference between just enough effort to look good and sincere effort. He doesn’t want us to obey Him just for the sake of appeasement. He wants us to love Him (Matthew 22:37). And He has given us ample reason to do so (1st John 4:19).
It is often not too difficult to convince people that we are making a good effort when really we are not. You can call your old friends just barely enough to convince them that you are still friends or you can work just barely hard enough to keep your manager off your back. We can fool people, but never God. God knows our hearts (1st John 3:18-21). He can reveal our secrets (1st Corinthians 4:5). As King David told his son Solomon in preparation for Solomon’s upcoming reign, “the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts” (1st Chronicles 28:9). God will know if we are taking for granted all that He has given us. He will know if we are trying to just barely put in enough effort to keep others off our backs. We may be accountable to our friends or our managers in some respects but, ultimately, we are accountable to God (Romans 14:12). And we aren’t going to be able to trick the God who will “reveal the counsels of the hearts” (1st Corinthians 4:5).
When it comes to our efforts to please God and obey His word, let’s be sincere. We will never be able to pull a fast one on the God who knows all our thoughts and intentions (Galatians 6:7+8). So let’s sincerely try to give Him the respect and obedience that He deserves.