Give Me Thy Heart
By Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001)
(Loyal Pastor of First Baptist Church of Hammond, Indiana for over 42 years)
Proverbs 23:26, "My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways."
Isn't that a strange request? God is using the words "Give me.'' Usually, we are the ones who say, "Give me,"' and now the table is turned. That is not the creature saying to the Creator, "Give me,'' but rather the Creator saying to the creature, "Give me.'' The great Benefactor becomes the petitioner. The great Giver becomes the receiver. The Landlord becomes the tenant. The Provider becomes the beggar. The Satisfied becomes the seeker. The Door seeks entrance. The Living Water thirsts. The Bread of Life is hungry. The Way gropes for your heart. The Prince of Peace fights to get you. God wants your heart.
Why does God want our hearts? There is only one possible reason: He loves us! There is nothing that He needs that we have apart from our love. He is too rich for us to make Him richer. He is too great for us to make Him greater. He is too good for us to make Him better. He is too strong for us to make Him stronger. He is too glorious for us to give Him more glory. If we gave Him all of our goodness, it wouldn't make Him any better. If we gave Him all of our riches, it wouldn't make Him any richer. If we gave Him all of our strength, it wouldn't make Him any stronger. If we gave Him all of our wisdom, it wouldn't make Him any wiser.
If we gave Him all of our knowledge, it wouldn't make Him any smarter. If we gave Him all of our glory, it wouldn't make Him any more glorious. If we gave Him all of our greatness, it wouldn't make Him any greater. If we gave Him all of our power, it wouldn't make Him any more powerful. He simply seeks after our love. That is why He made us. He wanted somebody to love Him and to fellowship with Him voluntarily. It seems so strange that we should not gladly accept this offer when the great omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent God wants our hearts.
It is so necessary that the Christian give his heart to God first. To give wealth without giving the heart is abomination. To pray without giving the heart is mockery. To sing without giving the heart is sounding brass and tinkling cymbal. To work without giving the heart is insult. To teach without giving the heart is ignorance. To preach without giving the heart is hypocrisy. To serve without giving the heart is fraud. To witness without giving the heart is perjury.
Years ago I faced the reality that I would never be a great orator or scholar and that I did not have great talent. I did, however, realize that I could do one thing as well as anybody. I could give God all my heart. He has a right to my heart and He has a right to your heart, for He gave His heart to us. When He died on the cross, a soldier pierced His side, and the Bible says there came forth blood and water. Doctors tell us that this means the heart had ruptured. He died of a broken heart. He gave you His heart; He wants yours. He says to you today, ``Give me thy heart.'' The happy Christian responds in the affirmative.
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