Articles
Heart Exam: A Divided House
“A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
Maybe you remember that from a speech given by Abraham Lincoln as he began the political journey that would lead to his eventual presidency three years later. Lincoln, though, was simply quoting Jesus in Matthew 12. Jesus uses that phrase to drive home the point that whatever unit one considers--a country, a home, a heart--being split between two priorities or attempting to serve two masters is ultimately disastrous.
He even makes a similar and very direct statement in Matthew 6. Jesus places the two opposite cares of this life in contrast: physical vs. spiritual. You simply cannot serve God and the “riches of this world.” To put it another way, if your primary attention is set on things of this life, you have automatically rejected God. God will not accept our leftovers. As the psalmist writes in Psalm 119, “With my whole heart I seek you, let me not wander from your commandments,” God expects our whole heart.
The prophets of the old testament had to continually emphasize this message. Hosea is given the difficult task of delivering a message of judgement to the nation of Israel. In chapter 10, Hosea reminds Israel that they have prospered greatly, but when God blesses them at every turn, they reject him by building altars to false gods. He even says their heart is “divided” in the King James Version. Other translations convey the thought of their heart being false, deceitful, or devious.
We must all beware we don’t fall into the temptation of the enemy and attempt to relegate God to second place. “I can always come back later.” “There is still time to repent.” “This one time won’t matter.” We are deceived when we accept these excuses. It is simply sad that our “divided” heart is a consequence of us believing the lie so thoroughly that we adopt it and make it our own.
The other terrible consequence of this self-delusion and divided allegiance is that we simply won’t stand. Just as Jesus proclaimed, that sort of fundamental division is no way to achieve enduring success in any endeavor. My hope is that if you’re reading this, your interest in spiritual things is such that you are seeking an eternity with the Creator of all that is, with my Father in heaven. The important fact to remember is that every knee will bow before Jesus (Philippians 2:10), but only those who are children of God will rise to be welcomed into the eternal rest. It is only those who have the attitude of the psalmist--pursuing him wholeheartedly--that will enjoy that blessing.
Don’t fall for the lies; don’t convince yourself that broken-hearted is the way to live. There is nothing that can separate you from the love God extends, but you need to respond with the same unwavering devotion to him. Take a moment to consider your life and see what might be holding you back. Is it worth the eternal destiny of your soul? Make the choice to have your heart mended and whole, trusting your life fully to Him.
