(Further reflections on “The Black Widow”—Sunday, 22-Oct-2023 and “The Magic, The Gospel, and The Gift”—Sunday, 29-Oct-2023)
Is your heart right with God’s instructions?
Fallen humanity is wired to be enchanted by magical powers. Children growing in a non-Christian home are captivated by fairy tales. Even adults get goosebumps over tall tales or ghost stories. Mysterious movie genres somewhat fill the cinema or have high viewing or downloading rates. The sinful tendency of human beings is inclined to seduction, which is usually loud, influential, and very inviting (cf. Proverbs 9:13-18). And naturally, those who lack moral sense will likely consider this invitation, “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant (Proverbs 9:17).” The gravitational pull of the fallen humanity is always downward. Sweet, pleasant, and subtle death are the baits and the endgame of the fool, who are the naive—those who are open-minded, do not heed godly instructions, and set aside God’s wisdom. In short, the heart of the fool is not in line or far from the teaching of the Lord.
Is your heart right with God’s gifts?
Unregenerated humanity is wired to desire godlike power without God. There was a man, Simon the magician, who is called Great. He is well known in his town. People listen and look up to him, because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic (Acts 8:9-11). But when the Gospel of Jesus, proclaimed by Jesus’ disciple—Philip, the people in the town including the magician were touched by the power of the Good News. They came to believe, and saw great miracles being performed by Jesus’ disciples. Having witnessed such event, the magician did not get the point. He wanted to own such power and thought he can purchase it with money. Possibly, he might have had earned a bit of money from performing his magic before. He thought God’s gift can be bought. He, perhaps, was thinking, “I can buy anything with money. If I cannot buy it with money, I will buy it with a lot of money.” He was wrong. When he made his request to the apostles, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:19),” instead of receiving an instant transfer of power, he received a rebuke with strong words, correcting his line of thoughts, pointing out what was wrong with the request, that is, a “heart is not right before God.” His motive to obtain the gift of God with money is wicked (Acts 8:20-21). In other words, when the heart is not right with the Lord, wickedness lives and godliness dies.
How do I know when my heart is right or not right with the Lord? Explore these questions. (1) What is your heart's desire for this life? What are things that are really captivating your body, soul, and spirit? (Hint: If you don’t know, ask someone who knows or works with you. They might be able to tell you things that are obvious to them but oblivious to you)
(2) Are your prayers sounding like “asking for a magic” wanting an instant gratification and not obedience in a long haul or resembling “give and take” language, e.g. “Lord, give me that and I will follow you...?” (Hint: What you are praying for most of the time will tell you a lot about what your heart is really after)
(3) Are you, most of the time, amazed by “from zero to hero” stories or “self-made millionaires” testimonials or “how to be sexy tonight” advice from the world’s (real and fake) gurus?
Self-examination is not fun. It takes courage, time, and space. I pray that each of us will take some time, even just 15-30 minutes each day to pause, reflect, and align our heart rightly with the Word. One thing you don’t want to do is: (a) to repeat the same mistakes or/and (b) carry the same sinful habits that you have this year to next year. It’s time. And the time is now!
May the Holy Spirit reveal, heal, and sanctify us all.
—
Pastor Lap
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