This past Sunday we talked about one of the most impactful verses in the book of Joel: “Rend your heart, and not your garments.” (Joel 2:13)
We see so beautifully in scripture that God has always and will always care about the heart.
He is interested in the very core of who we are…the seat of our emotions, thoughts, and actions.
He is relentless in pursuing our hearts, and this call to “rend” is an actual splitting apart, a force-filled and powerful repentance and surrendering of this crux of who we are. God is not just interested in the outward display of obedience, He is greatly focused on the inner-workings of our mind, emotion and will.
There are many examples of this theme throughout scripture. I want to take you through a few of them today so we can solidify in our minds what it means to truly “rend our hearts”…because once we understand this, we can stop acting as religious performers, and instead, start living and breathing as true believers.
In Matthew 23:25, Jesus is speaking to the leaders of the law when He says pointedly, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (ESV)
In Hosea 6:6 the Lord is speaking when He says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (ESV)
1 Samuel 16:7 gives us a glimpse into how God truly sees people. It says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (ESV)
The New Living Translation phrases Jesus words in Mark 2:27 in this way as He speaks to the Pharisees, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”
In Psalm 24:4-5, David pens what it means to live rightly before God. Again, it comes down to the heart:
“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (ESV)
When God asks us to rend our heart, He is asking for a full internal surrender. Something that outward actions cannot accomplish. It is the difference between operating in the flesh vs. the Spirit. They are always opposed, and you choose to either walk in one or the other. You can’t force your way into obedience by religious practices, it has to be a true giving over of your very life.
Can I encourage you with this final thought? As we head into the holiday season, there might be situations you simply don’t want to be in. Maybe you are around certain people that are tough to love, maybe your flesh is resisting even being in the same room as these people. You may have to drive or fly when you would much rather stay in the comfort of your own home. There will be times when you are asked to go above and beyond to serve someone else and it just feels downright miserable.
Friend, I understand. It is a true resistance of the flesh and laying down of what we want to serve another. But the moment you do…you begin to walk by the Spirit. The moment you decide to do something that serves someone else, the moment you go where God is asking you to go, the moment you give when you feel like there might not be anything else left to give…that is the moment you rend. That is the most meaningful part to God.
I’m reminded of the widow who gave her two mites. Jesus praised her faith. He said this of her in Luke 21:3-4:
“Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (ESV)
Her heart was in the right place. Something tells me that long ago, she decided to rend her heart and give it over to God. This season, may we do the same…no matter how uncomfortable that may seem. He is with you, and He sees your heart.
We see so beautifully in scripture that God has always and will always care about the heart.
He is interested in the very core of who we are…the seat of our emotions, thoughts, and actions.
He is relentless in pursuing our hearts, and this call to “rend” is an actual splitting apart, a force-filled and powerful repentance and surrendering of this crux of who we are. God is not just interested in the outward display of obedience, He is greatly focused on the inner-workings of our mind, emotion and will.
There are many examples of this theme throughout scripture. I want to take you through a few of them today so we can solidify in our minds what it means to truly “rend our hearts”…because once we understand this, we can stop acting as religious performers, and instead, start living and breathing as true believers.
In Matthew 23:25, Jesus is speaking to the leaders of the law when He says pointedly, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.” (ESV)
In Hosea 6:6 the Lord is speaking when He says, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” (ESV)
1 Samuel 16:7 gives us a glimpse into how God truly sees people. It says, “But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” (ESV)
The New Living Translation phrases Jesus words in Mark 2:27 in this way as He speaks to the Pharisees, “Then Jesus said to them, ‘The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”
In Psalm 24:4-5, David pens what it means to live rightly before God. Again, it comes down to the heart:
“He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the LORD and righteousness from the God of his salvation.” (ESV)
When God asks us to rend our heart, He is asking for a full internal surrender. Something that outward actions cannot accomplish. It is the difference between operating in the flesh vs. the Spirit. They are always opposed, and you choose to either walk in one or the other. You can’t force your way into obedience by religious practices, it has to be a true giving over of your very life.
Can I encourage you with this final thought? As we head into the holiday season, there might be situations you simply don’t want to be in. Maybe you are around certain people that are tough to love, maybe your flesh is resisting even being in the same room as these people. You may have to drive or fly when you would much rather stay in the comfort of your own home. There will be times when you are asked to go above and beyond to serve someone else and it just feels downright miserable.
Friend, I understand. It is a true resistance of the flesh and laying down of what we want to serve another. But the moment you do…you begin to walk by the Spirit. The moment you decide to do something that serves someone else, the moment you go where God is asking you to go, the moment you give when you feel like there might not be anything else left to give…that is the moment you rend. That is the most meaningful part to God.
I’m reminded of the widow who gave her two mites. Jesus praised her faith. He said this of her in Luke 21:3-4:
“Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (ESV)
Her heart was in the right place. Something tells me that long ago, she decided to rend her heart and give it over to God. This season, may we do the same…no matter how uncomfortable that may seem. He is with you, and He sees your heart.
Erika Pizzo
Erika is an author of various books on the topics of faith, mental health, and victory in Christ. Erika lives with her husband, daughter, son, and their fluffy poodle in sunny Southern California. Her two favorite things are a visit to the beach and a chai latte in hand.