Mere Outward Forms

Michael E. Wood

August 9, 2011

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those that seek Him.  Hebrews 11:6

Fight the good fight of faith. Take hold of eternal life to which you were called and about which you made a good confession in the presence of many witnesses.  1^st Timothy 6:12

Keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

The following are experts from “Keeping the Heart”, by John Flavel.

“The heart of man is his worst part before it is regenerate, and it is his best part afterwards. It is the seat of principles and the fountain of actions. The eye of God is, and the eye of the Christian ought to be, principally fixed upon it. The greatest difficulty in conversion is to win the heart to God, and the greatest difficulty after conversion is to keep the heart with God.”

“It is not the cleansing of the hand that makes the Christian (for many a hypocrite can show as fair a hand as he), but the purifying, watching, and right ordering of the heart.”

“God rejects all duties (however glorious in other aspects) offered Him without a heart. He who performs duty without a heart – that is, heedlessly – is no more accepted with God than he who performs it with a double heart – that is, hypocritically.”

Mere outward forms are not the means, by which our God is pleased,

But heartfelt, grace filled, humbled hearts is where our God is seized.

For it is He who raised us up to bombard His heavenly throne

With petitions demonstrating in His sight alone

That He is ours and we are His with joy as sweet perfume,

In Christ our supplications rise as with Him we commune.

Of this abundance we partake, not one can take away

As all serve only to remind us, He is our all each day.

And though our greatest conflicts lie, hid deep within our breast,

His presence makes us strong to fight with fear in each new test,

He brings to show the magnitude of faithfulness and love

He is within Himself and shows to us through Christ above.

Oh Father help us know and love You more with every breath

You give until You bring us home in Christ through mortal death

And as we wake with You where there shall be no more alarms

We’ll praise You then perfected in Your everlasting arms!