Serve God with a Perfect Heart without Regret
To serve God with a perfect heart is intimidating. You and I look inside our hearts and recoil when we see what’s inside. We wade through the good and bad hoping to find a perfect heart toward God.
Take for example the hearts of these two people and what Jesus said about them.
Luke 18:10-14 – Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
’I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.’
Each man approached God entirely differently. To serve Him with a perfect heart is greatly influenced by attitudes based on how you repent, stay humble, and trust God.
Serve God with a Perfect Heart: Identify What’s In There
These key areas help you identify what’s in your heart.
- Attitudes: Many times you and I evaluate people by their outward appearance. God doesn’t do that. He knows exactly what motivates us. Jesus’ parable about the Pharisee and the tax collector listed in the scripture above shows how our motives determine whether we have a perfect heart or one that’s not. Have you noticed that people with perfect hearts turn from evil quickly because they’re sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice inside them? These same people seek His ways and ask for guidance every day. They ask God to search their hearts and reveal what’s imperfect so they stay off paths laid out by Satan. Moreover, people who serve God with a perfect heart are always teachable.
- Repentance: A believer is heartbroken over sin. They admit when they fail and aren’t afraid to seek God’s truth, move beyond sins and live victoriously. Additionally, they get on with God’s plans and are eager to grow closer to God through the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Just be aware it’s possible to weep over sin without wanting to restore fellowship with God by repenting.
- Trust: A Christian serious about their relationship with God wants Him to order their steps. They commit and connect to Him so they don’t open doors to destruction and heartache. In fact, God looks for people like this. 2 Chronicles 16:9 – “For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”
How to Serve God with a Perfect Heart
Seek God first: Running to your social media accounts is not the place to get answers. If you want to serve God with a perfect heart, you can’t get spiritual answers from worldly people. As a believer, the Holy Spirit lives inside you. He’s waiting to answer all your questions. Every morning, commune with God by praying, singing, meditating on scripture, and communing with Him in other ways. Aligning yourself with God’s spirit drives out the crud that backs up in your heart.
Inspect your heart regularly: If a doctor orders an MRI or some other exploratory X-ray to view your heart, they can see everything but your motives. What you think remains hidden. You must examine your thoughts to see if your heart is perfect. Are there idols in there like money, people, and things or is it full of doubt, fear, and anxiety? Whatever is in there separating you from God has to go.
Please the Lord: Is pleasing the Lord important to you? If not, why? Having your own agenda based on your will is in direct opposition to being God’s child. Being His means just that. You’re on call for Him 24/7. By pleasing God, you’re in a position to become whole and holy. Doing so requires an attitude of surrender.
Fill your Heart with Love: I find out whether love fills my heart when someone treats me like an enemy or dirt. If I don’t love them the same as I do myself, then my heart isn’t perfect. Loving enemies and sometimes your friends and family requires divine help. That’s when I solicit assistance by praying and telling God that I don’t know how to love someone.
More Thoughts About How to Serve God with a Perfect Heart
You may believe it’s impossible to change your heart. Just remember that living for God and no one else prepares you to serve Him with a perfect heart. For without committing to Him in thought, word, and deed, our hearts go rogue quickly.
As with any spiritual discipline, God provides grace to accomplish the impossible. For with Him, all things are possible and He strengthens you as you grow from glory to glory. Your obedience pays off handsomely when you continue to abide in God day by day.
Then too, your mind and spirit must be willing to override fleshly desires. To get to that point, it helps to meditate on scripture.
Psalm 73:26 – My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Psalm 25:1 – In you, Lord my God, I put my trust.
Luke 8:15 – But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 – Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
By taking deliberate steps toward this goal, you’re well on your way to serve God with a perfect God. Just know when you mess up (and we all do), keep pressing forward, and don’t give up. You’ll never regret having a perfect heart.