The Heart’s Posture

Trust in the Lord and do good- “Psalm 37:3”

What is good? Can we mortals do good? In his response to the rich ruler, Jesus, in Luke 18:19, said, “No one is good except God alone.” The truth is that we can do good only by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us.

You know, friends, there are things we call good, but they might not be good in the sight of God. It depends on our walk with God and the condition of our hearts. The question is, where is our heart’s posture?

There was a King named Amaziah in 2 Chronicles 25:2. The bible says that “he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, but not with a perfect heart.” Also, in the book of Genesis 4:3-4, Cain and Abel both gave offerings to the Lord, but God rejected Cain’s and accepted Abel’s. So, the problem was not in the giving because they both gave. It was in the posture of their hearts.

Again, we learn in Mark 12:41-44 about the poor widow who Jesus said gave more than the rich people even though it was two little copper coins because of where her heart was. These are just a few examples out of the many.

It is possible to do good when we engage with Micah 6:8, which says, “to act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” When we begin to walk humbly with God, that’s when we can invite God to “search our hearts” like David said in Psalm 139:23 because “the heart of man is deceitful” (Jeremiah 17:9). In the humility, sincerity, brokenness, and consistency, God begins to help us, empower us, and lead us by His Holy Spirit to do good.

Friends, there are benefits to doing good and obeying God. The Lord is saying to us to be patient and wait for the Lord to act (Psalm 37:7) because “the Lord takes care of those who obey him, and the land will be theirs forever. They will not suffer when times are bad; they will have enough in time of famine” (Psalm 37:18-19). I can testify to that.

Growing up until now, my family has never lacked. We have always had enough, and I can attribute that partly to my mum and her attitude of giving and helping people who are in need. She so much believes and knows that God will always provide for her and her family and so it has been. I witnessed these acts of kindness and compassion towards others, and it resonated with me. She still does these things, expecting nothing in return. That brings her joy and makes her fulfilled.

Even David, the psalmist, testified to this fact. He said in Psalm 37:25-26, “I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen good people abandoned by the Lord or their children begging for food because at all times they give freely and lend to others, and their children are a blessing.”

So friends, giving is not only in the form of money or gifts. It can also be by giving someone a lending hand, a listening ear, a word of encouragement, dedication to service even at our place of employment, and so many other ways.

Therefore, let the giving spirit this season of Christmas not stop here. Let it continue throughout our lives with a good heart, expecting nothing in return. Let the great rewarder (God) be the one to reward us. And because God is a good and faithful God, he doesn’t just stop at rewarding and blessing you alone. He extends the reward to your children and down the generation as they walk with the Lord like Solomon (David’s son), recognized in 1 Kings 6: 11-13. Listen to what the Lord told Solomon:

“As for this temple you are building, if you follow my decrees, observe my laws, and keep all my commands and obey them, I will fulfill through you the promise I gave to David, your father. And I will live among the Israelites and will not abandon my people Israel.”

So, you see, as long as Solomon continued to walk humbly with the Lord, He promised to fulfill the promise he made to David through him.

Likewise, God wants to fulfill the promise he has made to us and continue to our children and children’s children. The question is, are we willing to walk humbly with the Lord, follow his decrees, and keep his commands? I pray we all answer “Yes”.

Remember, children learn a lot from what they see us doing, who we put our trust in, and not necessarily what we say. So, we must model a good path of acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God into the next year and beyond.

May the Good Lord help us as we invite him into our hearts to begin to search our hearts and clean us up on the inside. As He cleans us on the inside, we will start to reflect the goodness of the Lord on the outside. May God help us all in Jesus’ name. Let us reflect on these remaining days of 2023 and prepare to welcome the following year, 2024, with a heart that hungers and thirsts for righteousness.

I love you all!

Ngozi