Nick Poindexter

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Follow Your Heart

December 4, 2010 / / 0 Comments

The heart is more deceitful than anything else and desperately sick—who can understand it?
-Jeremiah 17:9 (HCSB)

The human heart is often used as a metaphor for our personal will, and here we find the prophet Jeremiah making the same comparison. He examines the heart, and the prognosis is bad. So bad, he says, that no one can figure it out.

While Jeremiah’s assessment may seem overly pessimistic, it’s rooted in truth. God is simply making a clear warning… The heart lies. More than anything. So be careful.

The world is enamored with the idea of “following your heart,” and I’ve heard many well-intentioned people offer the same council to others. But is that really the best advice to give?

If I’m honest, I’m not really sure I want to follow my heart. My heart is often full of vile things like selfishness, pride, lust, and vengeance. If I did everything my heart wanted, I would be the most repulsive human alive!

The fact of the matter is that our sinfulness is, at its core, a heart condition. And that’s why it’s so critical that God promises us a heart transplant (Ezekiel 36:26). When our faith is placed in Jesus, the Spirit enters our bodies, changes our hearts, repositions our desires, and rewires our motives.

And that’s not to say that the longings of your old heart will never make an appearance from time to time. They most certainly will, because the Devil is good at his job. But the difference is that you are no longer following your heart; now you’re following Jesus.

So, follow your heart? Err… Maybe. Just make sure you know who is leading it.

What God Requires

November 25, 2010 / / 0 Comments

With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
-Micah 6:6-8 (NIV)

Oftentimes the people of Israel had a distorted understanding of sacrifices and rituals. Instead of viewing them as a way to receive grace, they viewed them as a way to get God off their backs. And in these verses from Micah, the list of things that they try to buy God off with gets increasingly preposterous… Year-old calves, thousands of rams, ten thousand rivers of oil, and firstborn children!

Can you sense the sarcasm? It’s as if God himself is saying, “Seriously? Do you really think those things are what I want?”

Then, God’s true interest is identified: our character. God wants changed lives. In particular, he wants us to:

  • Act justly. Whatever you do, be fair and true. Do what is right.
  • Love mercy. Be compassionate toward others. And love doing it. Why? Because God gave it to us first.
  • Walk humbly. Have a faithful relationship with God. Swallow your pride and understand that’s he’s greater than you.

So allow me to ask the question: What sacrifices do you make to please God?

You’re probably thinking, “Wait a minute… Don’t go lumping me together with those zany Israelites. Killing calves or rams or babies? Giving away oil? Hardly! I don’t do sacrifices!”

While that may be true, but we all do things with the ultimate intent of trying to please God. We think we are a “good” Christian because we pray before meals, or go to church almost every Sunday, or throw a little cash in the offering plate. That’s our modern-day “sacrifice”, but the problem is those things are definitely not what God thinks is good… They are certainly not what God requires… They are absolutely not what God wants.

God is more concerned with the the one making the offering than the offering itself. First and foremost, he wants our hearts. We try to make it so difficult, but in reality, it’s so simple, isn’t it?

Act justly. Love mercy. Walk humbly. That’s what God requires.

Entertaining Angels

November 22, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
-Hebrews 13:1-2 (NLT)

The author of Hebrews closes out the book by addressing his readers to continue to love each other, as they’ve been doing. It’s a “Good job, keep it up” kind of statement.

But he follows that by saying we must not forget to also extend love beyond those we already know. The author says to love strangers as well. Why? Because they might be angels.

This command is a direct reference to the story of both Abraham and Lot’s unexpected visitors from Genesis 18-19. In that passage, both men immediately open their homes to these guests, who were in fact, angels. In their day, this was Godly generosity in action. Travelers had to sleep overnight in obscure towns, so inviting someone in to stay you didn’t know not only showed hospitality, but it also pointed them directly toward your God. Also, in the context of Hebrews, many early Christians were being persecuted and were on the run. They needed hospitality from strangers more than ever!

Although foreign travelers may not be often knocking on your doors looking for food and shelter, there are people right under your nose today who need welcoming. Maybe it’s the co-worker or classmate you’ve never spoken to. Maybe it’s the visitor to your church who looks uncomfortable on the back row. Or maybe it’s that person who the opposite of you in every way, and because of that you’ve turned down every chance to get to know them personally.

We are being challenged here to be as hospitable to strangers as we are to acquaintances… To view outsiders the same as insiders… To love those that are different from us as much as we love those who are the same as us… To meet the needs of everyone whom God puts in our path.

Who knows? Maybe you too will be entertaining angels without realizing it.

Both Sides Of Your Mouth

November 16, 2010 / / 0 Comments

Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”
-Jonah 1:8-9 (ESV)

As a fierce storm is arising, we find the prophet Jonah on a boat being questioned by its sailors. They ask about his identity, his job, his background. And Jonah replies: I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.

What Jonah fails to mention, however, is that he is a passenger on that very ship because his God told him to go to Nineveh and deliver a message to its people. Knowing that God was full of mercy and compassion, Jonah instead flees in the opposite direction to Tarshish, hoping to avoid the mission and escape God’s presence.

There’s some considerable irony going on here that’s easy to miss.

Look at Jonah’s words again… “I fear the LORD… who made the sea…” Really, Jonah? Are you sure about that? The same God you’re running from?! The same sea you’re trying to run away by?!

Jonah’s actions could be justified if fearing God meant being literally scared of him. But the fear of God in its most genuine form encompasses worship, obedience, and respect. So saying you fear someone but running from them at the same time is a total contradiction!

We all have our Jonah moments too, regrettably. We say one thing while doing the utter opposite. Too often, the words of our lips don’t match the actions of our lifestyle…

  • Yes! I love the Lord! But don’t tell anyone about how I cheat, lie and steal to succeed in work/school.
  • Yes! I am a follower of Jesus Christ! But we gotta keep my true racist colors covered up, please.
  • Yes! God is #1 in my life! But let’s stay hush-hush about my adultery and addictions.

When you talk out of both sides of your mouth, it’s completely hypocritical. If you really fear God, you don’t run from him. If you really believe he made the seas, you don’t use it as your escape route.

You may say you worship Jesus… But do your actions say otherwise?

It Does A Body Good

November 9, 2010 / / 0 Comments

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
-Proverbs 17:22 (NIV)

I recently saw some statistics on stress that baffled me. According to the American Medical Association, 75% of all illnesses and diseases are stress-related. On top of that, the American Institute of Stress says that up to 90% of all doctor visits are for problems connected to stress.

But this really shouldn’t come as a surprise. Solomon made the same point clear thousands of years ago when he penned this proverb. This simple yet applicable advice rings true today… Having a positive outlook on life can do wonders health-wise. Alternatively, having a negative view withers you up.

This attitude carries over to the people we are in contact with as well. Ever been around someone who is invariably unenthusiastic, discouraging, and pessimistic? Solomon is right. It really does such the life right out of you. But cheerful, joyful people? They change everything for good like medicine.

And don’t just take modern doctors and medical organizations’ words for it. The Great Physician himself agrees. One of the major themes of Jesus’ first sermon was simply “Do not worry.” Specifically, in Matthew 6:27 he says, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” You think Jesus was getting at something?

As a child I remember the ad campaign to promote the consumption of milk based on its health benefits. The slogan was “Milk: It Does A Body Good.” While that may be true, it’s not the only thing…

A cheerful heart. A positive outlook. A Christ-like perspective.

Whatever you want to call it, it does a body good.

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About Nick

// Disciple of Jesus

// Husband of Twinkle

// Daddy of Blaise, Justice & Trinity

// Teaching Pastor of Collide Church (Yadkinville, NC)

// Lover of 90s music/television, useless trivia, Cheerwine, Krispy Kreme & Chick-fil-A

// Fan of the Tar Heels, Panthers, Hornets & Braves

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