The Great Cardiologist

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” [Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV]

Pour yourself another cup of coffee and let us reflect on what Scripture means when it tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our “heart.” We all know that the heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood though more than 100,000 miles of vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries) depending upon the size and weight of the person. Is this the “heart” that Scripture is referring to, or is it something even more amazing than the muscular organ that sustains physical life? When we speak of loving the Lord with “all of our heart,” we are not speaking about the physical heart, but rather about the center of our relationship with Christ. Just as the physical heart is the center of physical life, the spiritual heart of which Proverbs speaks is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as our physical health is dependent upon the health of one’s heart, our spiritual condition is dependent upon our relationship with Jesus. You might even call it the point of our passion. You see, if we are to be in the right relationship with Jesus and His bride, we must be sure that our relationship with Jesus is passionate and healthy.

This means that we have to exercise spiritually and stay on a spiritual diet. This allows our spiritual heart to be like that of Jesus, instead of being our own “human” heart with human understanding. We are to be like Jesus; little Jesus’, acknowledging Jesus in everything we do and in every corner of our lives. Our relationship with Him is our heart, the centerpiece of our being, pumping life throughout us, creating the Fruits of the Spirit, and making our path straight, narrow, and heavenward. Jesus Christ is our cardiologist, the Great Cardiologist. He can skillfully go into our spiritual heart and correct a blockage so that we can live more freely.

Just as we want our physical heart to function well, we need our spiritual heart to function at 100%. When our relationship with Jesus Christ is healthy and strong, we put others first and self last. Jesus requires that selflessness and servanthood be our way of life. If our spiritual heart is healthy, we are selflessly ministering to others, without thought of personal gain. We are always seeking to walk in obedience to Jesus Christ, and looking for opportunities to help others who are hurting spiritually, emotionally, and physically. So let me ask you, “what is the nature of your heart?’

Prayer: “Lord Jesus, as the Great Cardiologist, search my heart, perform a spiritual angioplasty on me, and if my spiritual arteries are clogged, open the clogged arteries of my spiritual heart and stent them open to improve the flow of your spirit throughout my being, that I may be whole and spiritually healthy. Help me to stay on a spiritual diet of your Word, prayer, and meditation. Hold me accountable to exercise my spiritual gifts regularly to aid in strengthening the body of Christ throughout the world. Allow my life to reveal your sovereignty and omnipotence as the Great Cardiologist. Remain the centerpiece of my life, now and forevermore. I pray this pray in the name of Jesus Christ, the Great Cardiologist.”