Seth Bartal's ADVENTUREhttp://www.sethbartal.com/enFri, 24 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTTypePad http://www.typepad.com/SethBartalsAdventurehttp://feedburner.google.comBe Careful, It's Your Heart (Zechariah 6-10)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SethBartalsAdventure/~3/Kb0MGyUGegw/be-careful-its-your-heart-zechariah-6-10.htmlGod's NarrativeOld TestamentSeth BartalFri, 24 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01538fc6256d970b0168e7dacd30970c

Broken heart
One of my favorite movies at Christmastime is Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire.  In the movie, Bing sings a song called "Be Careful, It's My Heart."  Aside from being a love song, there's an important lesson to learn about the fragility of our hearts.  When someone hurts you, it affects your heart.  Whether it be jealousy, anger, fear, or resentment, those things get lodged in our hearts and then affect our action against other people.  The truth is, when our hearts are sick and unhealthy, they cause us to treat others in ways that aren't honorable to God.  That's why warning comes in Zechariah 7:10, among other things, to avoid devising evil in our hearts.  Once it's there, it's hard to get out.  Forgiveness is so important for us because it heals our hearts.  Even if the person we're needing to forgive is unforgivable, it's better to say "I cancel your debt against me" than to allow all of the other emotions build up until you reach a cracking point.  So be careful - it's your heart!  Protect it, and empty it of any negative emotions each night before you go to sleep.  And if you've never heard the song before, you can check out the video from YouTube below.

 

]]>One of my favorite movies at Christmastime is Holiday Inn with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. In the movie, Bing sings a song called "Be Careful, It's My Heart." Aside from being a love song, there's an important lesson to learn about the fragility of our hearts. When someone hurts...http://www.sethbartal.com/2012/02/be-careful-its-your-heart-zechariah-6-10.htmlI'll Leave the Light On (Zechariah 1-5)http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SethBartalsAdventure/~3/M7NEF85K1DE/ill-leave-the-light-on-zechariah-1-5.htmlGod's NarrativeOld TestamentSeth BartalThu, 23 Feb 2012 04:00:00 PSTtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a01538fc6256d970b016301de8db5970d4893861575_ea4fb4337e_b
One of the messages that God spoke to Israel in Zechariah was "Return to me... and I will return to you" (1:3).  God was not forcing Himself upon the Israelites anymore than He forces Himself upon us.  Rather, He was patiently waiting for their return.  He was waiting for them to hit rock bottom and to come to the realization that the life they were living wasn't bringing satisfaction.  The truth is that God is waiting for you to return to Him, too.  The light is on, and He is ready to welcome you when you're ready to come.

]]>One of the messages that God spoke to Israel in Zechariah was "Return to me... and I will return to you" (1:3). God was not forcing Himself upon the Israelites anymore than He forces Himself upon us. Rather, He was patiently waiting for their return. He was waiting for them...http://www.sethbartal.com/2012/02/ill-leave-the-light-on-zechariah-1-5.html