Misplaced Heart and Misdirected Mind leading to Misaligned Will (5th Oct 2014)

“Misplaced Heart and Misdirected Mind leading to Misalinged Will”

In a recent article published in Straite Times on the search of Happiness. The author came to the conlusion after citing an emperical study that to be happy one should “love others” and “use things” instead of the conventional wisdom of “loving things” and “using others”. The “others” in the author's opinion would be inclusive of God and other folks in their life. If you hold dear to the teaching of Jesus on the Sermon of the Mount, you would also node in agreement because he taught that the Citizen of the Kingdom of God would exhibit a righteousness that finds expression in loving God above all (Matt 6) and one that loves his neighbout as himself (Matt7).

Loving God above all as set forth in Matthew 6 would find expression in the secret devotion of one's heart to God (Matt 6:1-18) on one hand and unlimited trust in God (Matt 6:19-33) on the other hand so that all in all a citizen of the Kingdom of God has only one agenda in his life, namely, the extension of God's Kingdom and righteousness (Matt 6:33). However, since the fall of Adam and Eve, work has become difficult and coupled with self-centerness due to sin, Man and woman would pursue the accumulation of wealth beyond the necessity of subsistence. This is basically why people would “love things” and “use others” to satisfy their selfish needs instead of the other way round if left alone. That is why the Bible contains ample warnings on the deceitfulness of richess (Matt 13:22) and warning against the love of money (1 Tim 6:10) which is the root of all evil even though the Bible is also clear that if the pursuit of money is not the end in itself it can be a blessing in providing for others (1 Tim 5:8), to help others in needs (Pro. 14:21) and promote the work of the Gospel (Luke 8:2,3). This is why Jesus addressed the issue head-on with categorical emphasis that a Citizen of the Kingdom of God would have unlimited trust in Him for their daily needs and beyond so that he or she can pursue the extension of God's Kingdom. 

Jesus did so by addressing the hearers with warning against a misplaced heart (Matt 6:21) where the desire of earthly things reign supreme in one's heart. The ramification of such a misplaced heart, would lead to a misdirected mind because the person spiritual eye would be darkened with earthly desire and with it overwhelming darkness (Matt 6:23) in his or her life thus leading to a life of wrong decisions and finally a misalinged will where one would jettison God in favor of Mammon even though he or she started life with the desire to have the best of both worlds, which is not possible, as Jesus said in the same verse (Matt 6:24).

For the Citizen of the Kingdom of God, there is only one agenda in his or her life and all things are to be subservient to it. We don't need the world to inform us that the way of happiness is to love God above all and to love other as himself because anything that Glorifies God would ultimately bring joy to the person. God is most glorified when man and woman are most satisfied in him as one author puts it. Do you have a misplaced heart, a misdirected mind and this two are moving you towards a life of misalinged will which would leads to destruction? Jesus again warns us and we need to heed his warning in Matthew 7:13 and 14, “Enter ye in at the strait gate:for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” Our Lord Jesus is calling us today to abandon our own agenda and to embrace him fully and his Agenda alone with unlimited trust, lets renew our pledge this Lord's Day and sing with our beloved Poet;

“The Master hath called us, the children who fear him,

Who March 'neath Christ's banner, his own little band;

We love him and seek him; we long to be near him,

And rest in the light of his beautiful land”

Frances Havergal

Amen,