Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 15:10-17:18

“Heart” is a word used a lot these days. “Follow your heart” is the mantra of today’s pop culture. We find it in movies, music, advice columnists and self-help books, among other things. But, if you’ve read today’s portion, you’ll know there’s a problem!

“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

This is true biblical psychology and sociology: mankind is inherently evil (bad, wrong, wicked, sinful), not good.

In the Old Testament, the heart is the whole inner being, including reason. It is the source of actions, desires, and decisions. If the wellspring of our thoughts, actions, desires, and decisions is polluted with evil, why should we be surprised to find the rest of our lives (and others) tainted with it?

Perhaps we need to trash the idea that we are generally good Christians in our hearts? It’s only by God’s grace and the Holy Spirit living inside of us that we are able to do any good! At any rate, let’s be careful to follow and trust the Lord first, not our hearts.