Jeremiah 4:4 “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart, circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart.” I wish for your life to be filled with God’s love and blessing. Now I want to share grace with you through the message entitled “Why Are We Different?” Some believers say they are touched in their hearts and shed tears just bringing the word “God’s love” to mind. But some others feel troubled and say “Why do I not feel love of God that much and that strongly?” Many believers profess their love for God, but their emotions toward His love are different according to how much each one has tried to cast off evil. As you practice the word of God and cast off the evils from your heart, you can avoid stagnation of your faith and feel the deep love of God. That’s why the most important factor in your Christian life is the circumcising of your heart. The circumcision of the heart refers to the removal of the ‘foreskins of the heart’ as recorded in the Book of Jeremiah 4:4. It says, “Circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart, circumcise yourselves to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart.” To remove the foreskins of your heart, you have to discern between good and evil with the word of God. Then you must diligently cast off evils and accomplish spiritual goodness within yourself. Some believers seem to regularly attend gatherings of faith, faithfully serve the church and lead a Christian life, but later they lose grace, abandon God, and return to the world. This is because they have not circumcised their hearts. Because they have not cast off evils from the heart, when they meet with trials, they cannot overcome the trials. So, only when you diligently listen to God’s word, make your spiritual bread of it, and put it into action can you receive God’s grace and strength. Proverbs 8:17 says, “I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me.” So, as much as you cast off evils, the greater grace of God will come upon you. God’s blessings will overflow in your life and your heart will be kept ablaze with the fervor to accomplish the kingdom of God. Then, no trials and afflictions will matter to you and the fruits you bear will never fall away. If you try to make a fire over the wood that is piled up, it costs you much effort and time at first, but once it is set ablaze, it can consume both raw green timbers and wet wood in the strong flames. In the early church many people were guided to the church by the flame of a mighty work of the Holy Spirit and the number of those who were saved increased every day. In the same way, I hope and pray in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that every single soul who comes to you might be consumed by the fire of the Holy Spirit and be filled with the love of God. |