A Matter of the Heart

Prayer  Father God,  I am desperate for you. Give me a heart, an earnest desire, and a willingness to serve you in all that I do. Give me a pure heart so that I may see your grace in my life. Help me to be grateful for your blessings each and every day. Strengthen me so that I will endure each blow that life send’s my way. In Jesus’ name, Amen.    A Matter of the Heart by Veronica Garrett    Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. (1 Corinthians 9:24)   My fitness trainer told me, “I’m going to start you off with cardio.  Walk briskly one minute, run for one minute and do this for one mile.” This exercise strengthens the heart. In time I am able to run the mile. I have found that before I can run for Jesus I must first learn to walk with Him. In the life of a Christian we have to learn how to walk with God. It all starts with the heart. Salvation begins with a changed heart, one that believes that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead.  In order to work out our salvation we must learn to have an intimate walk with God.  This strengthens a heart for God. Far too often Christians lose their passion for Christ.  He calls us to good works that he prepared in advance for us to do. The work itself brings the greatest fulfillment and passion for life. Each Christian has a race to run that is very personal and specific to God’s plan for their lives. Running the race that God has prepared is the source of your greatest joy.  I cannot run your race.  You cannot run mine. In order to live life abundantly we have got to run the race. Many say that God created you for tremendous blessings of wealth, power, and influence. Even so, the source of joy in the life of a believer is not attached to tangible things. Pursue God and His will for your life and you will have passion. To run the race you have got to have heart. Ask any coach what gets an athlete farther talent or heart.  He will tell you that you have got to have heart. The race doesn’t go to the swift or the strong but to the one that endures to end. In order to keep from quitting during the tough times you have got to have heart.  A strong heart towards Christ is what keeps you going.  It all started with the heart. And crossing the finishing line, in essence finishing your God assigned race, is a matter of the heart.