Devotional: Look and Remember

"Speak to the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to look at and remember all the commandments of the Lord, to do them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my commandments, and be holy to your God." (Numbers 15:38-40 ESV)

The children of Israel were told to put tassels and a cord of blue on the corner of their garments so that when they saw them, they would be constantly reminded of the commandments of the Lord, and to obey them rather than follow after their own hearts and eyes.

We all need reminders like this as we are prone to forget and wonder off on our own in disobedience to God.  I find it interesting that in the days that we live, the worldly admonition is to "just follow your heart".  Many graduation ceremony speeches are punctuated with advice like this.  Yet, our verse says, "...remember all the commandments of the  Lord, to do them, and not follow after your own heart..."

This goes counter culture to what we are taught by the worldly leaders of today.  Little children in preschool and kindergarten are taught in story books and movies to "follow your heart" and the end of the story is always a positive ending.

Scripture says that the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9)  It can't be trusted. If we follow our hearts we will be deceived.  The man who ruins his marriage by adultery was following his heart.  The person who murders another is also following their heart.  In the same token, the person who gives to the poor is also following their heart.  So we see the heart can lead a person to do good or to do evil. The same person who committed adultery may have donated thousands of dollars to charity.  Both actions were being led by their heart. The point is, you can't trust your heart.  Will it lead you to do good or evil?  You don't know.

The only remedy is to follow Christ, to obey Him regardless of what your heart tells you to do.  This often requires some kind of reminders that we see daily to remind us of our duty to obedience to Him.

What reminds you to follow Christ on a daily basis instead of your own heart?  Is it scripture verses posted on the fridge or on the dash of the car?  This speaks to me because I need to do these things too.