Heart Condition

"Not everyone who says to me, ''Lord, Lord' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father in heaven.  Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name, and done many wonders in your name?  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!' 

Matthew 7: 21-23 NKJV 

One thing I've been wondering about lately as I've been participating in Mens ministry is, where is our heart?  Where is MY heart?  Matthew 7 gives a stinging indictment on those of us who, for one reason or another, are just going through the motions of their relationship with Jesus.  We can say that we are following Christ, but inwardly we can be miles away.  This entire idea of a "relationship" with Jesus is something I've only recently began to understand.  Trust me, it's not something that's come easily.  For years, we've been told that by doing good and serving others that we could punch our ticket to heaven.  This is what I was told and what I believed.  Then, in a small class led by my friend Dennis I was introduced to Ephesians 2:8-9.  

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

Ephesians 2: 8-9 NKJV 

So, how could my good behavior get me into Gods grace?  I could be the most well behaved person in the world and STILL not come close to hearing my Lord say "Well done, good and faithful servant."  This isn't  a situation where I can earn my own way into salvation!  This would make the sacrafice of Jesus irrelevant.  In fact, if we could simply "earn" our own way into Gods kingdom, how important would Gods grace and mercy be?  Jesus has made it pretty clear that those who simply "act" the part without having a heart for God will be on the outside looking in when their time comes.  One thing I pray I NEVER hear is my Lord Jesus say to me "I never knew you!"  Thankfuly, his  grace is sufficient enough that he wishes everyone to experience a heart to heart relationship with our savior.

~Scott~