Searching the Heart

“The Word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” —Hebrews 4:12,13

EVERY true servant of the Lord desires to keep his heart pure and in harmony with the principles of righteousness set forth in the Word of God. It is not enough that we search our own hearts. We must also search the Word of God, with the view of being instructed by the Lord. David, a man after God’s own heart, realized that he needed the Lord’s help in searching his heart, so prayed, “Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my Redeemer.”—Ps. 19:12-14

The Scriptures make it abundantly clear that God is able to read our hearts and to know all the secret intents of our thoughts. As for us, we can judge another only by his outward appearance, but God is not thus limited. To the Prophet Samuel the Lord said, “Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (I Sam. 16:7) That our thoughts are naked before the Lord should make us very alert in controlling them. On the other hand, to know that God is able to read our hearts should also be an encouragement, for he knows our weaknesses, and remembers that we are dust, and deals with us, not according to what we are able to accomplish, but according to what we would like to do and be.

Our High Priest, Christ Jesus, is also sympathetic; and we are invited to go to him at the throne of grace, there to obtain mercy, and to find grace to help in our every time of need. We are admonished to approach the throne of grace “boldly,” that is, with confidence. (Heb. 4:16 RSV) We know we can do this, for we are assured that the blood of our High Priest cleanses us from all unwilling sins; and if we are sincere in searching and controlling the intents of our hearts, we can boldly claim the blood of Christ to make us acceptable to the Lord.

Sincerity

Sincerity before the Lord is of supreme importance in searching our hearts. The psalmist wrote, “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts.” (Ps. 139:23) None but the sincere would presume to ask God to search his heart. Are we willing at the close of each day to ask God to search our hearts because of our knowledge that we have not willfully transgressed his laws?

Jesus is our great Exemplar. He rejoiced to realize that his Heavenly Father knew every intent of his heart, and whether or not he had been faithful under all circumstances. He said to his Heavenly Father, “I have preached righteousness in the great congregation. lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest.” (Ps. 40:9) “Thou knowest”—how heart-searching this information should be to all of us who are endeavoring to follow in the footsteps of our Master! Our own brethren in Christ may not know just how faithful we are from day to day, but the Lord does.

Jesus Also

Jesus also was, and is, able to read our thoughts and to search out the true intents of our hearts. An interesting incident in this connection is recorded in connection with Jesus’ association with the Apostle Peter. We recall Jesus’ prophecy that Peter would deny him; and at the time this was apparently far from Peter’s thoughts and intentions, but the prophecy came true, and Peter learned a most valuable lesson from it.

Following Jesus’ resurrection, when he appeared to his apostles on the shore of Galilee he entered into conversation with Peter, asking him a very pertinent question: “Lovest thou me?” Was there any resentment in Peter’s heart over what had happened in connection with the trial and crucifixion of Jesus? Jesus knew the answer, but he wanted to hear it from Peter’s own lips. And perhaps Jesus may also have reasoned that such a confession from Peter would be of value to the other disciples.

Peter assured Jesus that he did love him. And then the Master repeated the question, and Peter again confirmed his love. Then the Master asked essentially the same question for the third time, and Peter, perhaps wondering why he was being asked the same question so many times, replied, “Lord, thou knowest all things. Thou knowest that I love thee.”—John 21:1-17

It seems not unreasonable that here Peter had in mind the fact that Jesus, knowing the inner workings of his mind and heart so well that he could foretell his denial, certainly did know all things, and therefore now knew that his love for the Master was sincere and genuine; that there really was no need for the Master even to raise the question. But in the divine arrangement it seemed well for Peter, even as it does for us, to tell the Lord that we love him. He appreciates this.

The Seven Churches

Jesus’ knowledge of the thoughts and works of his people is revealed in his messages to the seven churches, the account of which is recorded in the second and third chapters of Revelation. In his message to each of these churches Jesus said, “I know thy works.” He knew their outward works and their secret works, and he also possesses this same knowledge concerning us. We cannot relax our faithfulness even for a day with the thought that it will not be noticed by our Lord. If this is done through the weakness of the flesh, the Lord understands, and will forgive, and give strength for the future. To whatever extent unfaithfulness is willful, we will suffer chastisement, but even this will be an evidence of divine love, for “whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth.”

To the church at Ephesus Jesus said, “I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou hast tried them that say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars. And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.”—Rev. 2:2,3

This is truly a remarkable testimony of faithfulness on behalf of the church at Ephesus. They labored diligently for the Lord, and were patient. They had been faithful in watching over the welfare of the church in that they had put to the test those who claimed to be apostles. They had found these to be liars, and undoubtedly had prevented them from serving the brethren. Yes, the church at Ephesus had labored and had not fainted.

But the Lord saw something in the hearts and lives of the brethren at Ephesus which perhaps they did not recognize themselves, and told them about it. He said. “I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love.” Some may suppose that the “first love” enthusiasm of those who first see and dedicate themselves to the vision of truth is somewhat immature, and that our goal should be to settle down to things more mature. But this is an incorrect thought. It is unfortunate when any consecrated child of God loses his first love enthusiasm for the Lord and for his precious truth.

Under the influence of that “first love” zeal nothing could stand in our way of serving the Lord. There was no task too difficult to undertake for the Lord and for the brethren, and no sacrifice too great. When we saw the vision of truth—present truth—we were so stirred by enthusiasm and love that the dull drab cares of life took on a brightness of meaning which we never knew before. “Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers” all gained new sweetness to us.

Under the sweet influence of that “first love” the Lord’s people became our people, not just a people with whom to associate for an hour or two once a week; for then we sought out every opportunity possible for fellowship and service. Is our activity in the service today merely a perfunctory sort of thing, or do we serve with enthusiasm because we love to serve, and because the self-sacrificing spirit of love is impelling us to lay down our lives for the Lord, the truth, and the brethren?

Can we say to the Lord today, as Peter said to Jesus, Thou knowest that I love thee. Yes, Lord, I love thee, and I love thy people and the truth today more than I ever did before. Thou knowest, Lord, that I have not lost any of my “first love” enthusiasm and zeal. Today, even as when the truth was first revealed to us, we should have the same spirit of sacrifice zealously to serve the brethren, and to tell the whole world the glad tidings of the kingdom. Can we truly say that we have not lost our “first love”?

To Thyatira

In Jesus’ message to the church at Thyatira we are presented with a somewhat contrasting thought. He said to these brethren, “I know thy works, and charity [love], and service, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first.” What an encouraging testimonial this must have been to the faithful in the church at Thyatira! The Lord knew their love, and he knew about their faith and their patience and their works. But best of all they had not lost any of these qualities. Their “first love” had not slipped away from them, but instead they had increased in all the qualifications he mentioned, including their love. The “last” was more than the “first.”

And why should this not be so? Is there any reason why we should be less zealous in works now than in the beginning? As we search our hearts we will discover that there is no reason at all why we should not become more zealous. The Gospel of Christ, the divine plan of salvation, is the same today as when we first learned about it. There are still millions of people in the world to whom it is appropriate to bear witness to this Gospel of the kingdom. There are still many who have broken hearts because of the sadness which has come into their lives, and among these are some who may have a hearing ear for the comforting message of the Gospel, and its assurance of the future blessing of all the families of the earth. Surely there is every reason why we should be more faithful in the proclamation of the kingdom, and in laying down our lives for the brethren. To be less faithful would be admitting that we had lost our first love, rather than increased in it as had the faithful brethren in the church at Thyatira.

More Faith

Jesus indicated that the faithful brethren in the church at Thyatira had also increased in their faith, and why should this not be true of all the truly consecrated? Day by day the tender mercies of our God are shed abroad in our lives; and we note the many ways in which the Lord is guiding and helping us in our every time of need. Each one of these experiences should serve to increase our faith, and we believe that every truly dedicated follower of the Master will testify that this is true.

It is only if we become weary in well-doing, and when we fail to meet patiently the experiences which the Lord in his love and wisdom permits to come into our lives, that our faith begins to weaken. May we search our hearts to make sure that no seeds of doubt are lurking there, ready to spring forth into a weakened faith when the battles of the Christian way become difficult, and when we need faith most of all to assist us in laying hold upon the precious promises of the Lord. May we be able to say from the heart that there has not failed one word of all the Lord’s good promises, and may this assurance enable us to rejoice more and more in the glorious hope set before us, the hope that enters into that which is beyond the veil.

Sardis

To the church at Sardis Jesus said, “I have not found thy works perfect.” This would be true, and is true, of all the Lord’s people, none of whom is worthy in his own righteousness. Jesus speaks of those in Sardis who were worthy through the righteousness of Christ. We quote, “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments: and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy.”

Every follower of the Master strives constantly to be worthy of his love and care now, and cherishes the wonderful hope of being worthy to enter into that glorious inheritance which he has prepared for all who are faithful even unto death. In our earnest, heart-searching desire to please our Lord let us remember that he knows all things. If we find traces of sin or of disobedience in our own hearts, let us remember that the Lord knows about these even better than we do.

May we therefore seek the Lord’s forgiveness, and also his help to overcome any selfish spirit we may have; to help us detect the smallest beginnings of defiling sin in our hearts. Surely we want to walk with the Lord in the white robe of righteousness provided through the blood of Christ. What a comfort it is to realize that the Lord does know the true condition of our hearts, and has provided the necessary help for our every time of need.

This help comes largely through the instructions and warnings contained in his Word. May we make greater use of these as day by day we endeavor more earnestly to know and do the Lord’s will. The works of nature reveal some of the glorious characteristics of God, and inspire us to worship and serve him. The psalmist wrote, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork,” but it is only through his Word that we are instructed in the true knowledge of God, and guided in the manner in which we should serve him David wrote:

“The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.”—Ps. 19:7-11

How great indeed is the “reward” of the followers of the Master during the Gospel Age! It will be a “crown of life,” and sitting with the Master on his throne. It will be eating of the tree of life “which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” It will be eating of the “hidden manna,” symbolic of the immortality to which all who are found worthy will be exalted.

It will be to receive a “white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” It will be to receive “power over the nations,” to bless them with peace, joy, and everlasting human life.

It will be to have our names in the book of life, and to experience that ineffable joy of having our names confessed before the Father and before the angels.

It will also be to have written upon us the name of our God, and the name of the city of our God, the New Jerusalem.

As we continue to search our hearts, let us continue in prayer, asking the Lord to help us obey “What the Spirit saith unto the churches.” And may we be able at all times to go to the Lord, and like Peter, say to him, “Thou knowest that I love thee.”

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