TLIC FAMILY. DAY 71. MARCH 12: KNOW MY HEART.

THINK TOGETHER

Would you like to be able to read people’s minds? Why or why not?

READ TOGETHER

Yesterday we read from Psalm 103 that God does not keep track of our sins. He doesn’t keep score or give grades. He doesn’t punish us for our sins and mistakes each time we make one. So does this mean that God doesn’t care if we sin?

Not at all. In fact, God cares about it a lot. He doesn’t want you to sin at all. Why not? Well, let’s remember what sin is. We sin whenever we disobey God. But even more importantly, we sin whenever we try to live without God, without his grace and kindness, and without his love. We sin whenever we love something more than we love God. And God knows that when we love anything more than we love him, it always ends up hurting us. Selfishness always makes us worse. And so in Psalm 139 David prays this prayer to God:

Psalm 139:23-24. ² Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! ²⁴And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!

King David is asking God to know his heart. Your heart is the most important part of you, it’s where your desires start. David knows that God cares about us and so he cares about our hearts and our minds. God doesn’t only care about what we do, he cares about why we do it. He cares about what we love.

This can be a bit scary, asking God to know the inside of you and not just the outside. And we can only do this if we know that God loves us no matter what, and if we know that God is only trying to help us stop being so selfish and scared. But because of Jesus we never have to be afraid of God knowing us. Because Jesus died for our sins and took them all away, we can know that God is always for us. He is always cheering us on, and making us better. Because of Jesus, God even lives inside of our heart and our mind and is helping us want what he wants, love what he loves, and even think what he thinks. And that’s good news!

Because of Jesus I never have to be afraid of God knowing my heart.

With Jesus I can love God and others with all my heart.

DO SOMETHING TOGETHER

Watch the Pixar movie “Inside Out” together, or just the trailer. Talk about how God knows the inside of us, and because Jesus lives in our hearts, God can know and change what makes us joyful, sad, angry, disgusted, and afraid.

PRAY TOGETHER

Jesus, know my heart and mind, and make me like you. Amen.