It's A Heart Thing

A youngster’s heart is filled with foolishness, but physical discipline will drive it far away. [Proverbs 22.15]

There are two very important life-facts contained in this Proverb.

First, the heart of man starts out in trouble. It is filled with foolishness. We know from other references that the heart is deceitful above all else and, even though God knows it entirely, man is incapable of ever knowing it with any success.

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? [Jeremiah 17.9]

People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart. [Proverbs 21.2]

The second life-fact found in Proverbs 22.15 is this: physical discipline is listed as the only thing to correct a young wayward heart. This physical discipline should manifest early on in a child's life at the first onset of rebellion and disobedience. 

In fact, physical discipline is listed among the things that reward adult disobedience in Deuteronomy 28 also. However, it is much more severe than a simple spanking that has no lasting physical effect!

The sad thing about the human heart though is that, in its deceptive condition, it purposefully misinterprets physical discipline! Instead of standing on faith in Christ for redemption and/or seeking forgiveness through repentance, the first human response to physical discipline (in the form of sickness, disease, poverty, destruction, loss, etc.) is to seek respective professional help (medicine, insurance, finance, etc.).

What's puzzling however, is that many allow their deceptive hearts to tell them that God wants them to suffer pain, loss, destruction and the likes to some spiritual end as if the Biblically identifiable curses they bear are not about disobedience. And then, what's worse is that they seek professional help to correct something they say "God is doing in their life." They say God allows them to go through cancer but then they prescribe to every medical remedy available. Shouldn't that be seen as working against God (if in fact God allowed the cancer)?

I think best that we simply trust God's Word and ignore what our hearts tell us! Our heart with all its 'heartfelt sincerity' has only the capacity to deceive. Again, I am just quoting the Bible here.

There is a huge disconnect between what Jesus taught, demonstrated, and commanded His followers to do and what the Church teaches and does today. Should we not be asking "Why?" Be sure of this, the answer will not be found in our hearts, but in God's Word!

Father, this is hard to process. Help me. Forgive me. May Your Word continue to challenge me to the obedience of faith!