Heart Surgery
It has been said that every number has a name, every name has a story, and every story matters to God. You are not a number that gets lost in the crowd. You are seen, known, and loved by God.
“The Lord spoke to Moses in the tent of meeting in the Desert of Sinai on the first day of the second month of the second year after the Israelites came out of Egypt. He said: “Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one...The Israelites did all this just as the Lord commanded Moses.”
Numbers 1:1-2, 54
In a world of more than eight billion people, does your life have significance? God says that it does and that not a hair on your head fades without God knowing about it. God gave the command for the people to take a census. Taking a census was much more than just counting numbers of people. What was the importance then and why does it matter now?
God had Moses count the people who were prepared for responsibility and ready to do the work so that the people could receive the promised land. Each person was counted as an individual and as part of a community. What makes you unique and how do your strengths fit within service to the community? God wanted to Moses to know not just the numeric count, but who would respond to the commission. God was really having Moses count how many hearts were dedicated to serve and obey His commands. Are you among those who want to be counted? God is not controlling your direction, rather He invites you to step into your calling, and be counted upon to do His will.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid...The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation...The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."
Psalms 118:1, 5-6, 8, 14-15, 19, 21-22, 24, 26
Can you see the transition that occurs as David experiences God at work in his life? David cries out, God meets him where he is, then takes him to a new place. Look how David say I cried, he brought me, I will not be afraid, my defense, the Lord is with me, he has become my salvation. His words are personal and the possessive pronouns he uses to describe his relationship with God.
Isn't this what God does with us? He meets us personally and wants us to experience the transformation that occurs when we are loved unconditionally as we are. How have you experienced God today?
What happens after we experience God? Then He sends us to others. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord to others. You don't come in the name of the Lord to yourself. God saves then sends us.
“To humans belong the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the proper answer of the tongue. All a person’s ways seem pure to them, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end...In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end, it leads to death.”
Proverbs 16:1-4, 9, 24-25
There was an ancient expression that all roads lead to Rome. Some modern adaptations say all roads lead home. Wisdom tells us that not all roads lead to heaven. There is the way of the world and there is God's way. Which way will you choose to travel today? Where do you want to end up? Are you plans leading you down the path to where you want to go?
One of the best spiritual practices is submitting and committing your plans to the Lord through prayer. One thing we learn is that we do what we think is right and it is not always in alignment with the highest and best that God has for our lives. When we submit to God, we give Him the authority to choose where to send us. Do you want your life to be established by God? Commit the Lord your whole calendar.
“This is the number of the people Nebuchadnezzar carried into exile: in the seventh year, 3,023 Jews; in Nebuchadnezzar’s eighteenth year, 832 people from Jerusalem; in his twenty-third year, 745 Jews taken into exile by Nebuzaradan the commander of the imperial guard. There were 4,600 people in all."
Jeremiah 52:27-30, 32-33
Jeremiah had warned the people to listen to God, but most did not. Broad is the way that leads to destruction and wisdom says in the end those choices can lead to death. The census in Numbers counted many hundreds of thousands of people. In Jeremiah, there is but a small remnant left.
Don't wait until it is too late. The time to turn to God is now. The time to commit is now. We do not know the day or the hour that Jesus will come again.
“No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.”
Romans 2:29
Paul's calling was to share the message that you can have peace with God through the saving grace of Jesus Christ and that peace is not contingent on your qualifications. You do not have to be in a select number of people with a specific degree, work experience, spiritual acumen, or social status. When Paul describes a Jew, he is describing someone who followed all the rules of the law that were set forth for the Jewish people.
What is the incredible revelation that he shares? Jesus cares about a circumcised heart, not body. He is not focusing on what you have done right or done wrong, but whether you will be counted on as a person who will respond to your call. The circumcision of the heart is a heart devoted to God and ready to be commissioned for the kingdom. How thankful we should be that Jesus opened the heavenly gates for us to walk in not because of what we did, but because of what He has done for us. He calls you His, He calls you by name, and He qualifies you for the work you are called to do. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord because they have received the freeing love of Jesus Christ and out of that love have responded with a willing heart to share that love with others.