Whatever is the real object of the heart is what will, in the long run, characterize a man's course. If money, power, position, pleasure be the thing uppermost in the heart, everything will be made to bend to that, to give way to it, until even a reproving conscience will be silenced, never again perhaps to be awakened until it awakes before the judgment throne-too late, alas, forever. Indeed, not only to an ungodly world, but to a multitude who know, or ought to know better, and who pretend to Christianity, is the admonition of Paul to the Corinthians needful :"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God ? Be not deceived :neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God" (2 Cor. 6:9,10). The real object of the heart controls the man, forms his habits of mind and practice, and brings him to an end whose eternal retribution will be meted out by a righteous God who has known and followed every pulsation of that human heart.
How needful, therefore, that the children of God wait much upon God for the state of their hearts, that the object which animates them be the one, with which God may be able to identify Himself fully, and thus give power and sustenance to the heart to carry the object through to the end, whatever be the obstacles and difficulties in the way. Nowhere will the Christian find himself so dependent on God as in the exercises flowing out of this. The Scripture is full of proof of this in the expressions of men of God in every age, who, realizing how deeply deceitful the human heart is-how deceitful their own, each one, was-cried earnestly to God to take charge of them and free them from all hindrance to their possessing the true object, and thus reaching the true, happy end.
"To me to live is Christ" said one who had no reserve, no dark place in his heart. He labored "more than they all," but had labor been his object he would have missed much of the blessing that is in Christ. He would have been engrossed with labor, not with Christ, and his very labor then would have lacked the sweet fragrance of Christ, more precious to God than all beside. With Christ Himself as the burning object of his heart, he was, in all his labor, " unto God a sweet savor of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Cor. 2:15).
Had the doing of great things, large audiences, counting professed converts by the thousand, been his object, he would have had to overlook what to him was far above all such things-the character, honor, glory of the adorable Person who lived in his heart and was there enthroned supreme. All must bend to that in his work of faith and labor of love.
Had his object been to get all the children of God together, to show to the eyes of men the ever-blessed fact that the Church-the body of Christ-is one, he might have pleased many erring, self-seeking Christians who were already in his day. It might have made a fine show, it would have eased his path immensely; but to make a show of unity is not the same as pleasing Christ, which was the object of his heart. To his beloved Ephesians he once wrote a wonderful letter, so full of the glories of Christ and of His Church; but if they depart from their first love, if they have some object in their heart which they put before Christ Himself, he cannot follow them, for to him to live is Christ; and so by-and-by he has sorrowfully to write " all they of Asia have forsaken me."How little do God's poor, dear people realize that all causes of division among them come from losing first love, and that there is no divine remedy for them but in this, '' remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works" (Rev. 2:5).Craft, subterfuge, force,'' condoning sin, lead not to repentance; and repentance alone avails with God. He knows a contrite spirit, He reads the thoughts of a broken heart, He knows them in whom Christ is all, and He knows what to do with them. Ah! did we but know this, did we but know that "not of works, lest any man should boast " is a principle which does not cease with the finding of our salvation, we would not be such prolific talkers ; we would know more of the value of the sanctuary.
Will any good thing be undesired or left to lie dormant if Christ be truly the object of the heart ? Impossible ! What interests Him will interest such an one. What He loves will be loved. What He desires will be desired. What He commands will be sought to be obeyed. But all will be controlled by what He is. No indifference to that can the true heart allow.
" Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended :but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, (of full age) be thus minded; and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you" (Phil. 3:13-15).