The heart matters. The heart of the matter is that it is a matter of the heart. The Bible tells us that the sacrifice of the Lord is a broken spirit and that he will not reject a contrite heart. We are also told of the story of the king in the Bible who did all that was right before God but not with the right heart and it was not counted for him.  God sees the heart and that is why he will talk about those who praise him with their lips but their heart is far from him. So, the state of your heart is more important than anything else. In the Bible reading today, God offered his children an out from the terrible destruction that was headed towards their land. He asked that they first turned to him with all their heart. He wanted them to break down the walls of their hearts and not just the physical appearance of soberness.  He wanted a deep recognition of what had been done wrong and an intense call for mercy. He then goes on to talk about all the great restoration that would happen because he, the Lord, will have mercy and deliver them for his name sake. So, before you think about offering God a peace offering for past wrongs and distractions, start with the heart. It is all that matters.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your mercy and kindness always. Please Lord I come before you with a repentant heart. Please help me. I offer up my heart to you. Please accept it and mold it as you wish and let your pleasure speak restoration and blessings to every aspect of my life in Jesus name 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾.