"But God Knows Your Hearts"

“And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”” (Luke 16:15 NKJV)

    In this passage Jesus was rebuking the Pharisees (religious leaders/teachers) because they loved receiving money and likely sought out ways to gain more of it (see earlier verses, 1-13, in Luke 16). The focus of their hearts had shifted from religion to monetary gain and with that came the temptation to “tweak” the law – a little adjustment here, a wee modification there – to appease people who were willing to pay for a blind eye being turned on their sinful situation.

    The religious world is full of adaptations, modifications, as well as complete disregard of God’s Truth in an effort to appease sinful people who don’t like God’s boundaries and moral rules. How has this come to be? The desire for popularity (“anything to keep ‘em coming through the doors each week”) and for monetary gain (“We need to keep their money in the coffers”) has most likely led the way.  

    These erring religious leaders seek to justify themselves rather than change their focus back to God. Consider televangelist Kenneth Copeland who, back in late 2015, said he needed a luxury private jet to do his job because ‘you can’t “talk to God” while flying commercial.’ Or just a year or so ago, another televangelist, Jesse Duplantis, who tried to justify his need for a fourth private jet, this one with a price tag of $54 million, by stating he needed this addition to his aircraft fleet “to help him efficiently spread the gospel to as many people as possible.”

    We, especially when we know we are wrong but don’t want to change, can and will try most anything to justify ourselves – “I couldn’t help myself”, “I can’t imagine life without it”, “It will help me do ________ better”, “Things happen for a reason, if God didn’t want me to have ________ than He wouldn’t have given it to me.” etc., etc. – especially when we have gained something pleasing to us in the process.

“But God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”    

    Ponder now, if you will, Proverbs 6:16-19, and the seven things that the Lord hates and considers an abomination:

• A proud look
• A lying tongue
• Hands that shed innocent blood
• A heart that devises wicked plans
• Feet that are swift in running to evil
• A false witness who speaks lies
• One who sows discord among brethren

    Unfortunately, many Pharisees in Jesus’ time would come to be guilty of each of these. The steps leading to this may have felt seemingly innocent to them at first – “a little extra money won’t hurt anyone” – but the main problem was that their shift in focus caused them to look to money and away from God, because you cannot serve both (Luke 16:13).

    Let’s not try to justify ourselves in any of our wants and “needs” – we may fool our friends and even ourselves – but God knows our hearts! Let’s learn to be content with what we have, with what God daily provides (Mathew 6:25-34)! Let us, with grateful hearts, thank Him for our daily bread (Matthew 6:9-13, Ephesians 5:20, 1 Timothy 4:4-5) and appreciate the living bread  - His Word - with which our souls can be nourished with all that is good and truly proper in His sight (Matthew 5:6, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Romans 12:1-2) and let God and His truth be our only focus as we humbly walk the narrow way that leads home (Matthew 7:13-14)!

You can do it! So can I!!