An Open Mind and an Honest Heart

By Jeff Curtis

In the account of the Ethiopian eunuch we read of an open-minded official we see that people with honest hearts, people who recognize their need for God – can be found in the world if we will simply look for them. We may fail to see these people because, like the eunuch, they hold important positions and we may think they won’t see their need for Christ. We may fail to see them because, like the eunuch, they are strong in the religious beliefs, and we think they will not listen to us. Let’s not prejudge any man but diligently search for good and honest hearts. When we find them, let us guide them to the Lord.

Consider the conversion from the standpoint of the eunuch. He knew nothing about the divine message given to Philip. For him, the story started with an obscure passage in Isaiah and Philip’s question “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30). He invited Philip into his chariot, and as they rolled along, Philip “preached Jesus to him” (v.35). Philip preached the gospel, God’s power to save. When the treasurer heard this message, he believed and obeyed it (vv.36-39). He wasn’t saved by some “feeling better felt than told,” (Romans 1:16; 10:17). God’s plan was to get the honest sinner and the preacher together – and then let the Word do its job. If you desire to be saved, don’t wait for mysterious “experience,” but rather hear the gospel, believe it, and obey it.

Although God’s intervention in this case doesn’t prove that the alien sinner must have a miraculous experience. It does demonstrate God’s concern for the lost, especially the lost who have “honest and good hearts” (Luke 8:15). It is implied that God will help honest searchers for the truth find the truth (Matthew 7:7-8). Many examples come to mind of men and women honestly trying to discover God’s truth who came in contact with every person who could teach them the truth under circumstances that cannot be explained as coincidence.

There is a story of a meeting that a young man had near Waco, Texas. He had grown up on the streets of Brooklyn but had moved to Dallas, Texas. One hot day, not long after he arrived in Dallas, he was travelling on a bus and started talking to a young woman seated beside him. She invited him to church. The young man wasn’t a church goer, but he didn’t know anyone in Dallas, so he went. The people were so friendly that he went back the following week to see them again. Soon he became a Christian. The story goes that he went around asking people, “Are you a Christian? Let me tell you how I became a Christian!” Think about this story for a moment. What are the odds against the young man sitting on the bus that specific time beside that specific young woman who would invite him to the worship services? Both Scripture and experience should convince us that if one is an honest searcher, God will providentially make a way for that one to learn the truth.

How important it is for each of us to have honest hearts (Luke 8:15), to be diligent searchers for God’s way (John 5:39; Acts 17:11), and to be lovers of truth (2Thessalonians 2:10).

Meditate on this:

Psalm 51:1,2

Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. ² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

COULD YOU SIGN YOUR NAME TO THIS?

Anonymous

Dear God in Heaven,

I want to write to you and let you know why we don't attend the worship services of the church faithfully. You have chosen for your day a day that comes at the end of a hard week when we are all tired out. Also, it comes just after Saturday night and that is the night, we feel we should enjoy ourselves and take in a movie or ballgame or a party and it is usually after midnight when we get to sleep. You have chosen the very day that we need to sleep late, Too, my family demands a big Sunday dinner and when I get up so late, I can't get all this prepared and make it to Bible Study and preaching. John likes to read the Sunday sports page and the kids want to read the funnies. I mean no disrespect, but it seems to me you picked the wrong day.

Then, too, we must think of John. He works so hard all week and Sunday is about the only day he has to catch up on odd jobs around the house. I also feel that he should have one day a week to sleep, fish, golf or visit the folks. Please try to understand and don't hold this against us.

Last Sunday we meant to go to worship but had company. The Sunday before, we meant to go but it was raining. I was telling John last night that we just had to get straightened out and get back to worship or people would think we had quit. You know how people are to talk.

I wanted to tell you all these things so that you could see our viewpoint and know that it is really our fault we do not go to worship. And don't think we do not love you, dear God, for we do. We love the church too, and have been faithful members for years, and we expect to die in it and go home to glory.

Faithfully yours,

Minnie Saints

Careless City, U.S.A.

Maintaining the Purity of Your Heart

by Heath Rogers

Last year we had some mulch put in the flowerbed on the side of our house. It helped make the bed beautiful. However, as summer progressed, I started noticing some new kind of weeds sprouting up in the bed. I put on gloves (these new weeds had some nasty thorns) and pulled them up by the roots. A few weeks later, more weeds showed up. I again pulled out those new arrivals. A few weeks later - more weeds.

I had hoped these weeds had died out over the winter. This spring we planted new flowers and put on a new layer of mulch. The weeds showed up again.

I blame last year’s mulch.

“Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life” (Prov. 4:23). Part of “keeping” or maintaining the purity of our heart is protecting it from exposure to evil. Once we have developed a taste for sin, it is difficult to get the taste out of our mouth. We can repent and strive to do right, but the taste will always be there, tempting us to return to the passing pleasures of sin (Heb. 11:25).

How much easier it would be to maintain our flower bed if we had never introduced last year’s infected mulch.

How much easier it would be to maintain the purity of our heart if we never introduced it to sin.