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Searching the Hearts
by A.J. Wilson

“I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” Jer 17:10

If you look at verses 1-9 of Jeremiah chapter 17, you will find a contrast between those that trust man, and those that trust the Lord.  The Lord is announcing his curse on Judah and Israel for leaving his counsel and seeking idol gods.  Verse 8 is a beautiful verse showing what blessings come to those who trust in the Lord; but then verse 9 is a rebuke striking to the heart. 

What I wonder is why such contrasting sentiments were placed together by Jeremiah?  I believe the answer is above in verse 10, “I the Lord search the heart . . .”   How many times have we judged others and said, “you know he’s just doing that for the attention!”  You see it has always been a curse of religion, and pride, that sometimes people do good things for bad reasons.  It has been a great tool for Satan to use as a last resort.  Satan lost the battles of keeping someone out of church, from believing in Jesus, from becoming active, but he still has this ace in the hole.  Why is this so effective?  We all know good things to do, and the Lord says to do good works in his name; but what Satan does is he shifts the focus from Jesus’ name to our name.  This praise may be to our individual name (A.J.) or our church (Rowletts Baptist) but either way it is a sin to keep the glory from the Lord.  It could be seeking praise for your knowledge of the Bible, or for giving a larger tithe than others, maybe it is putting on a mask to show just how much sacrifice you’ve made. 

What should we do about this?  We can begin by searching ourselves (2 Cor 13:5) and repenting of actions where we are stealing God’s glory.  After looking yourself, ask the Holy Spirit to shine His light into the places you’ve hidden even from yourself (Ps 26:2).  As verse 9 in Jeremiah 17 says, the heart is deceitful, you can justify many things to yourself, but God’s standard is higher than ours, and His is the one that matters.  If after examining, and praying, you still find nothing, don’t let your guard down; Satan continues to work in subtle, small steps.  Continue to work for the Lord and give Him the glory, Great things he hath done!

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