6 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. 6 You have condemned, you have murdered the just; he does not resist you.
7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient.
Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. James 5:6-8
From Atkins to The Zone to Ketogenic, everyone seems to be on a diet. Diets can help people lose weight and maintain heart health, but the results only last as long as the commitment to the diet. Christians also need a healthy heart, both physically and spiritually. According to our verses above, we have two choices when it comes to the heart:
We can fatten or establish.
Trepho is the Greek word used for fatten in verse 6. Trephon means to feed, to nourish, to fatten, to stiffen. How do our hearts become fat and unhealthy? Go back and reread verse 6.
When we live for self.
When the focus of our heart is our personal pleasure and luxury, the heart becomes fat and lazy. When fat surrounds the heart, it inhibits its effectiveness and threatens the life of the person.
When we focus on ourselves, our heart becomes stiff with lack of use. How long has it been since we have served another, cooked a meal for a friend, or gave til it hurt? Stiff hearts eventually refuse to beat. Then the love of the Savior no longer courses through our veins, infusing our our hands and feet with the power of the Spirit to share the love of Christ.
Establish your heart.
Sterizo is the Greek word for establish. It means to make stable, to make firm, to strengthen. It also means to set one’s mind. The bible tells us to set our mind on things above, not on things on earth (aka live for self). A strong mind= a strong heart.
We live in tough times. Temptations are ever present—just a click away. A clean strong heart will not happen by accident. The choice is ours. We can live for the flesh and indulge our selves to death, or we can do the good thing. the hard thing. the holy thing.
Establish your heart, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Leave me comment below and let me hear how you are strengthening your heart. I’d love to hear from you!
by Mary Kay Kane
all rights reserved, copyright 2017