Head & Heart
When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them. John 14:20-21
One of the great debates we experience in life is when we are conflicted with what is in our head versus what is in our heart. At work, I have always told people that we can know in our head what we need to do, but if your heart is not into it, you will never perform at an acceptable level as someone whose heart is fully all in. By the same token if we make decisions exclusively by our heart, we will not always make the best decision. An author (and friend I might add) named Billy Hollowell recently wrote, “When we shift from “I just feel” to “But God says” our perspective totally transforms.” This makes it all seem simple particularly after reading Jeremiah 17:9, which says:
The human heart is the most deceitful of all things,
and desperately wicked.
Who really knows how bad it is?
But there is a reason I read scripture in context to ensure I understand what God is saying. The very next verse says:
But I, the Lord, search all hearts
and examine secret motives.
I give all people their due rewards,
according to what their actions deserve. Jeremiah 17:10
So, what if your heart is not being deceitful and is pure. For example, Jesus in the Beatitudes says:
God blesses those whose hearts are pure,
for they will see God. Matthew 5:8
So I felt confused by all of this until I sat down and meditated about it. One really cannot serve God without both their head and heart. To live by God’s word without love for God only makes us guilty of false love in the words of James, which says faith without works is dead. But to solely act on what your heart is telling you is ultimately giving in to the flesh, which we know is sinful. They are the ying and yang; a perfect compliment to each other.
We must always use an equal amount of both head and heart when discerning God’s word. God understands there is trouble with the flesh, and that is often where the heart lies. That is where it begins its deceitful ways. However, if we manage to truly love God in our hearts, it will be aligned with God’s word. I liken it to when Jesus comes back from the cross and asks Peter does he love Him. Note after each time, He asks Peter to do something (see John 21:15-17). You see, Peter’s heart was for Jesus, and as such, he was not only willing but was seemingly insulted that Jesus would question his love for Him. So it is easy to understand that you cannot survive spiritually unless your heart is for God, and only then will you be able to follow His commands. That being said, we must use a high degree of wisdom and knowledge to understand God’s word and its directive toward living a fully Christ centered life. What Jeremiah was saying is you cannot just look to emotions when trying to understand God. There will be times you have to do what you do not want to do. Psalm 119 says:
Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart— Psalm 119:1-2
That’s taking His word to ‘heart.’
Choosing to follow God is an easy choice, but walking the path is hard. The best way to continue down the path is not to believe you can be perfect. No one can be that. But if we are willing to give ourselves to God unconditionally with love, we have a chance to actually make the perspective change in our lives that God seeks. Let us be transformed by a willingness to love God such that we sacrifice our own wants for His. How can you ensure your heart for God is pure? What words of God can you place on your heart to expand your commitment to Him? My prayer is that as we surrender to God, we do so with both our head and heart. Amen.