Jesus Looks at Our Hearts
Each of the lessons in today’s Gospel could be expanded into an entire book. And at the very center of each lesson, we would find the human heart, which is the true essence of who we really are. Of course, our exterior behavior has to follow God’s will, but it’s the heart, the core of our being, that God is really interested in. This is what Jesus means when he says, “Do not think I have come to abolish the law…” He’s telling us that exterior behavior and appearances are good up to a point, but they’re just not enough.
To be a true and faithful friend of Jesus, the attitudes and desires of your heart have to be in harmony with God’s plan for your life. This is what Jesus means when he says: “I have come… to fulfill…”—in other words, to bring the Old Testament Law to its fulfillment. True friendship with God, which is what Jesus offers us, requires a union of hearts. He explains the Law from this perspective when he reveals the true meaning of anger, lust and lying.
If God wants everyone to be saved, how can our friendship with him be complete when we harbor resentment or contempt toward some people, or tarnish their good name by spreading rumors about them or speaking ill of them?
How can you live in intimacy with a God who loves everyone as a father loves his children, when in your heart you want to use some people as objects of personal pleasure?
How can we be true friends of God, when we make promises that we don’t intend to keep? Others may be satisfied with merely exterior success, with a hefty “bottom line”, but Jesus is interested in every line: he looks all the way in to our hearts.
Stephen Covey’s Second “Habit”
We should be happy that Jesus cares about us enough to remind us of these truths, because they help us keep a healthy perspective on life. Here’s a way to successfully maintain a healthy and vibrant friendship with Jesus—and it comes to us from the business world.
A few years ago, business expert Stephen Covey published a book entitled, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. In his book, he identified certain behavioral patterns that were common to people who succeeded in the world. The book was an instant hit, selling over 15 million copies.
One reason it was so effective was because the principles he identified and described are all in harmony with human nature and common sense. For example, the second “habit” he discusses is: Successful people begin with the end in mind. It seems so simple. We do this all the time. When we start driving, we make our first turn based on our final destination. When we pick a career, we base our choice on a projected outcome—a goal we want to achieve.
But what about life itself? How often do we think about the end, the goal of our whole lives? Every day is a new beginning, a new step towards our eternal destination. But if we don’t consciously renew our choice of what that destination is—Heaven—we could easily be distracted, or even deceived, into following the wrong path. This reminds me of the man who said, “I spent my whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to discover that it was leaning against the wrong wall.”
Begin Each Day with the End in Mind.
Jesus wants us to begin each day with the end in mind, namely, Eternity with God in Heaven. So today, and everyday for the rest of your life, start making the choices that will result in a vibrant and life-giving friendship with God. If you don’t take this seriously, how sad it will be for you on the last day of your life when you discover that you’ve spent your whole life climbing the ladder of success, only to discover that it was leaning against the wrong wall!