"The Calibrated Heart"

"Be not thou afraid when one is made rich, when the glory of his house is increased; for when he dieth he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him." (Psalms 49:16-17) For those of us that are dialed into a relationship with Christ, eternity has already begun, we are already living in eternity; we might not be with the Lord yet, but we are already blessed in knowing that we have everlasting life. That is what Jesus was speaking of in Luke 18:29-30, in that those who have left all "for the kingdom of God's sake" do not have to wait for the world to come to experience life everlasting, that experience begins now! Really, no joke! I need you to consider what is being said here based upon what has been said already, and calibrate your heart accordingly. What that means, if you don't already know, is that you take an evaluation of your heart, compare where it stands to where it is meant to be, and then make the proper adjustment. Simple, yes? Maybe, maybe not; it really is all dependent upon your heart; because sometimes it might be more than just a simple adjustment, it might require a revival of the heart to even begin to see where it is meant to be. It is really easy to see where our hearts are, we can pretty much know that by looking inside and taking notice; but seeing where it is meant to be requires the Word of God to guide the way and the Holy Spirit to change your heart. Okay, so this might to hard to totally comprehend; but that does not mean we don't try to make it happen! The word "afraid" that is used above is the same 'afraid' that was used by Adam in the garden when he answered God, saying, "I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself." It is a fear that is based upon not being in the place that you should be, or not being in the condition that you should be; therefore, your fear is brought on by being outside of your element. Adam's fear was based upon his feeling naked, which was the result of guilt, which was the result of sin; all of which caused Adam to hid from God as soon as he heard His voice. The fear spoken of above is based upon seeing someone made rich and then wondering if you are missing out on something; as if to say, "Why can't I have some of that?" It is a little more complicated than that, but it is really all about the desires of our hearts, of which, according to Jeremiah 17:9, "Who can know it?" But the calibration part comes by knowing where we are headed, and the real glory that matters the most; because the main difference between us and them is the direction of our departure: "descend" means to go down, which is not the direction that we are headed...

"For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace. So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple." (Luke 14:28-33)