My heart, O God is steadfast, my heart is steadfast. (Psalm 57:7)
As the sheep of our Great Shepherd, we all have a tendency to wander. Sheep simply stray away from their Shepherd. But there is a huge difference between straying in our way and straying in our hearts.
When we read through the Bible, we are confronted, time and time again, with those who strayed in their way. Abraham lied about his wife Sarah being his sister to save his own skin, not once, but twice. Moses killed an Egyptian overseer who was beating a Hebrew slave. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and plotted to murder her husband. Martha gave a mild rebuke to Jesus instructing Him to tell her sister Mary to return to her duties in the kitchen. Peter denied Jesus three times on the night he was betrayed. These are just a few examples of those who strayed away from God in their way. But they did not stray in their hearts and that made all the difference in the world.
We all at times stray in our way. We say things we ought not say. We do things we ought not do. We think things we ought not think. And we desire things we ought not desire. We do everything we do imperfectly in our walk with Jesus. But this does not mean we have strayed in our heart. The heart that has been changed by grace through faith and beats for Jesus, always beats imperfectly. The heart that strays is the heart that is unconvinced and unpersuaded by the truths of God’s Word. This is what happened to the Israelites in their wilderness wanderings – God said, “Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways” (Hebrews 3:10).
The key to stay the heart on our Savior is to stay in the Word. The more we are in the Word, the more the Word will get into us and the stronger our hearts will beat for Jesus. Remember, when you mess things up and stray in your way, look to the One who is at work within you and promised to complete that work – but not until you are received in glory.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 