I am a Jesus pusher!!! And they prayed and said, “You, O Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which of these two You have chosen” (Acts 1:24). The Greek word “kardiognostes,” translated “who knows the hearts,” is “heart (kardio)” “knower (gnostes). The human personality is made up of a variety of different functions of our being. It includes how we think, remember, feel, desire and will. The heart is used as an image of all of these. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 11:26-27). God, as revealed in the Scriptures, is a person who thinks, feels, desires, and chooses. The Book of Hosea is a story of God displaying through a prophet what He experiences, feels, and desires personally. God promised not to destroy Israel for their rebellion. This decision was not easy; it was a result of God’s inner struggle. He cries out from deep within, “My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst; And I will not come with terror” (Hosea 11:8-9). God justified changing His mind on the basis of His divinity. Mankind naturally destroys when angered, but God is Divine and pure in His heart! No wonder Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart” (Matthew 5:8).
Paul shared great insight with Titus. He wrote, “To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled” (Titus 1:15). This is based on the premise that purity is in the heart. Nothing can be pure when sourced by an impure heart. An impure heart influences every action of the being. The heart is the center of man. I want Jesus in my heart! I am a Jesus pusher!!!