Devotional

Change of Heart
‍

Gen 50:17 'Say to Joseph, "Please forgive the transgression of your brothers and their sin, because they did evil to you." And now, please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father.' Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
‍

‍
In the Bible, “The heart” is a phrase used in many ways. But to boil it down really quick, according to the Bible, your heart is the deepest, truest you. Therefore when Jesus said that out of the heart comes evil actions (Matt 15:18-19), he was saying who we are determines what we do. At the core of basic Christian beliefs is the idea that people do not sin and then become sinners, they sin because they are sinners. Over and over again the Bible points to the truth that apart from Jesus, the heart was born wicked and thus will produce wicked actions.

If your heart’s condition doesn’t change, which is the real problem, you’re not going to get different results by just trying harder to get different results. Who you are determines what you will do. And what you do is evidence and a reflection of who you really are. Until you begin to live from a new heart by remaining in Jesus, your sinful nature will continue to produce sin.
‍

‍
John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
‍

‍
Jesus doesn’t just want to forgive, he wants to solve the problem that caused the sin in the first place. Jesus is our example, but he’s also more than that. He is the very power working in us to do what he commands.
‍