Eyes Like a Flame of Fire

"But you, O Lord, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you..." 
Jeremiah 12:3

"Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord" Jeremiah 23:23,24

This morning my heart is thanking the Lord for His love, mercy, and patience toward me. He is a relentless pursuer of my heart and continues to lead me back to the same truths, patiently determined, to help me "get it." Though since my childhood I've been taught the truth that He sees me and knows even my unspoken thoughts, I have often managed to find ways to forget that truth and behave as though I do not believe it. This "forgetting" conveniently comes when I'm tempted to seek my own pleasure and gain apart from God's way. How the words of this hymn ring true in my life: "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love..."

"...The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire..." Revelation 2:18

The first time that I really remember stopping to pray and ask God to reveal the weightiness of Revelation 2:18 was about a year ago as I was leading a group study on the book of Revelation. I was struck by the declarations that Jesus Himself speaks in Revelation 2 and 3 about who He is. I was confronted; forced to wrestle with the implications of His self-disclosures, like: "...I am he who searches mind and heart..." Revelation 2:23. Deep down, I knew that this statement of Jesus was true, and that I had been dull of heart; I had not consistently been living my life as if it were really, REALLY true.

"But he knows the way that I take..." Job 23:10

Now, of course, I'm talking about so much more here than outward appearances. I grew up in the Church; I have had a deep love for Jesus and passion for His Word ever since I can remember. But as I continue to study the Word, I'm seeing that beyond any outward appearances or good behavior, God cares much more about my inner motives from which these things flow. Does my ministry to God and others come from a place of humility and genuine love, desiring for Him alone to be glorified?

"...you who test the minds and hearts, O righteous God!" Psalm 7:9
"And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit..." Romans 8:27

The motives of my heart and my secret thoughts are seen by God and matter to Him... in fact, He even tests my heart and sets up opportunities for it to be refined, challenged, and strengthened in love and obedience. This testing is His mercy and love toward me, because He and I both know that without this work of His Spirit within me, the tendencies of my heart are toward selfishness, pride, greed, criticism... and yes, the list could go on! Fire, though it can bring pain, has great potential to purify. God has set His eyes on you and me in love, to help us through the journey of being refined and strengthened.

"...I will set my eyes on them for good... and they shall be my people and I will be their God..." Jeremiah 24:6,7
"...I am the one who knows, and I am witness, declares the Lord" Jeremiah 29:23

Over the past year, I've often prayed that the Lord would take this truth beyond knowledge in my head and work it into my heart in such a way that it changes the way I think, the way I view reality, God, and others. I can see that God's been answering that prayer as I've been reading the Bible and the words of the passages I've included in this post have seemed to jump off the pages. These revelations of who He is are a gift to us, a gift that is meant to be received and pondered. As we meditate on the truth and ask His Spirit to make it real to us, we can be changed. I want to be changed more into His likeness. Holy Spirit, thank You that You are more than able to sanctify me as You "wash me with the water of the word" (Ephesians 5:26).

"O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar... and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it all together... Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?" Psalm 139:1-4,7