Scripture

Our verse for today comes from 2 Samuel 18:14, ” Then Joab said, ‘I cannot linger with you.’ And he took three spears in his hand and thrust them through Absalom’s heart, while he was still alive in the midst of the terebinth tree. “

Background

The average human heart is about the size of a good-sized adult fist. It weighs slightly less than a pound, has four chambers, and generally beats around 60-80 times per minute. The left side is larger than the right, as it must pump oxygenated blood throughout the entire body, while the right side pumps the deoxygenated blood for the rather short trip to and from the lungs. Interestingly, our left lungs are slightly smaller than our right, to accommodate these differences in size. Now, one of the numerous amazing things about the heart, while it pumps the lifeblood through our veins and arteries, working non-stop from three weeks after embryo development begins until our death, is that one can determine its general state of being simply by listening to it. Cardiograms and MRIs can be done to delve deeper into the finer aspects of health versus disease, but a trained person and a stethoscope can evaluate much about the heart in just a matter of seconds. For you see, a healthy heart makes a particular sound. Two, in fact, described as ” lub ” and ” dub. ” And when these two main sounds are in rhythm, it’s a good indication that valves are opening and closing correctly and contractions are occurring properly. But when there are extra sounds, such as gallop rhythms, friction rubs, or murmurs, the signs are there that something might be amiss.

Application

I wonder when was the last time you gave a listen to your spiritual heart? As rarely as some of us like to go to doctors, the sad fact is, too many of us would prefer the stethoscope, or even the cardiogram, to a good soul-searching heart examination. It’s bad enough to hear the doctor tell us to give up this food or start with that exercise. But if we examine our hearts and hear the Holy Spirit’s corrective voice, we know that God is staking a claim to what is supposed to be His. And therefore, we are bound to act. And we’d rather feel the thrust of three spears than do that. But God is gracious, willing and able to supply exactly what we lack. So take your heart to Him, and let it once again sound as it should.

Charge

As we seek Him today, open your heart before God for His surgical work that can take care of anything and manage everything.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words