The heart shape has evolved through generations and is widely known as a sign of love and affection. It's hard to think the double-scalloped ideogram with the v-shaped base hasn't been around for a long time, given how common heart shapes are in modern life: the heart is one of the most widely used emojis. What is the origin of this omnipresent sign, which may be found in everything from text messages to great art? Its origins are unknown, however some theories exist.
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Ancient societies used heart shapes in their decorative art. An Indus Valley civilisation pendant embossed with a heart-shaped fig leaf is one of the earliest examples. In art and heraldry, ivy, fig, and water-lily leaves were all employed. Ivy is frequently used as a sign of faithfulness. It's probable that the plant's symbolism influenced the current interpretation of the heart form.
What does God say about a pure heart?
According to what Jesus said, “The pure in heart are blessed, for they will see God (Matthew 5:8).”
This benediction, one of the beatitudes that opens the Lord's Sermon on the Mount, serves as a powerful reminder that pleasing God requires more than just doing the right things. It's a question of the heart. While mankind may judge by appearances, God judges by the heart (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7). And while we may deceive ourselves about the state of our hearts, God is never deceived. As the adage goes, “In his own eyes, a man's actions are right, but the Lord considers the heart (Proverbs 21:2; ESV).”
Part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount included a reminder of the necessity of getting one's heart right with God. Adultery is wicked, but Jesus also warned us that lust is a filthy interior sin of the heart (cf. Matthew 5:27-30). While murdering others was undoubtedly wrong, Jesus told out that another sin of the heart, anger, would also lead a person to hell (cf. Matthew 5:21-22). We shall be held accountable for our actions in the body (2 Corinthians 5:10), but we will also be held accountable for our thoughts.
The blessing that Jesus bestows on those who have a pure heart makes sense: if we are evaluated by our hearts, then those who have pure hearts will be the ones who will enter heaven. The blessing granted, like several other beatitudes, is a figure of speech describing redemption. “Be comforted,” “Inherit the earth,” “Receive Mercy,” and “See God” are all different ways of conveying “They will be in Heaven.”
On the other hand, if our hearts are not clean, we shall not be in heaven on the last day (cf. Psalm 24:3-5). The Pharisees and scribes were given this warning by Jesus. He advised His followers that they wouldn't be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven until they outperformed the Pharisees in holiness (Matthew 5:20). Pharisees, he subsequently warned, were blind guides who would lead their followers to disaster (Matthew 15:14), and that they were keeping themselves and others out of the Kingdom (Matthew 23:13). According to Jesus, part of the problem, if not all of it, was that the Pharisees' inward parts were wicked, despite their external piety. As a result, Jesus offered them a colorful description, saying, “Woe to you, hypocrites, scribes and Pharisees! For you are like whitewashed tombs that appear beautiful on the outside but are full of dead people's bones and filth on the inside. So you, too, appear upright on the outside but are full of hypocrisy and wickedness on the inside. (ESV; Matthew 23:27-28) ” The Pharisees were a religious sect “I have a heart condition.”
Despite this, “Although “heart difficulties” can be difficult for males to recognize at times, there are specific warning indicators we can look for to determine if we have such a problem.
There is, of course, the issue of sin. The Pharisees' hearts caused them to reject Jesus and want to kill Him. Such behavior does not come from good hearts. Instead, as Jesus said, “Murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, and slander are all bad thoughts that flow from the heart (Matthew 15:19; ESV).” When we observe a spouse cheat on his wife, a man steal from another, or someone spreading lies and gossip, we may reasonably conclude that there is a heart problem at the root of the action. It's pointless to complain that our hearts are in the right place when our feet are speeding down the wrong road.
A pure heart will give birth to pure words and acts. We can't get salt water out of a fresh water spring, and we can't get fresh water out of the ocean, thus we can't obtain righteousness out of a wicked heart, and wickedness won't arise from a pure heart (cf. James 3:10-11).
However, there is a solution; one that is pretty obvious. The Bible exhorts us to, “God will draw near to you if you get near to Him. Purify your hands, you sinners, and your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8; ESV).” Despite the fact that our hearts are sinful, God gives a way to cleanse them and knowledge to fill them with pure and pleasant things. It begins with a recognition of what we've done and why we've done it, followed by repentance as we draw near to God and allow Him to wash us clean.
Our continual prayer, like the Psalmist's, should be, “Create in me a pure heart, O God (Psalm 51:10).”
Why is the heart so important to God?
We're starting a new series this week on the kind of heart Christians should have.
The heart is a muscular organ that pumps life-giving blood to all areas of the human body via the circulatory system, which is made up of several blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries). This gives our bodies with the oxygen and nutrition they require to survive.
A healthy heart pumps the appropriate amount of blood at the appropriate rate, allowing the human body to function as God intended.
As a result, I believe it is reasonable to state that the human heart is one of the most vital organs God has given us.
I believe it is also acceptable to claim that the heart is one of the most essential spiritual organs. But the heart I'm referring about isn't the physical organ; rather, it's the spiritual component of the body that houses emotions and wants.
This spiritual heart is evident from the beginning, as the Bible states in Genesis 1:26 that humans were created in the image and likeness of God. So God has a heart, a heart that can be crushed over our misdeeds rather than a physical organ, and a heart that we're urged to follow.
God commends and is looking for this kind of yearning after God's heart. It was a heart like this that drew God's attention to King David.
“I have discovered David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will accomplish all My will,” the Lord declared. Acts 13:22 (NIV)
Man's heart isn't even aligned with God's heart in his natural state, which is sin. Instead, it's nefarious, wicked, and full of deception and treachery. The human heart is so wicked and deceptive that we are often mislead by it, but God knows better. In reality, He is the only one who understands the true state of our hearts.
“Who can know the heart, which is deceitful above all else and terribly wicked?” “I, the Lord, look into the hearts of men.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10a NASB)
Because Jesus knew what was in the human heart, He didn't devote Himself to anyone because He knew what was in man, John 2:24-25.
“For from inside, out of the heart of men, arise evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, robberies, covetousness, wickedness, deception, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and stupidity,” Jesus stated of the human heart. All of these wicked activities originate within a person and contaminate him.” (NKJV Mark 7:21-23)
Then what we need is a fresh heart, which the Lord promises to those who seek Him out.
“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and recreate within me a firm soul.” (Psalm 51:10; Psalm 51:12; Psalm 51:
“Above all else, preserve your heart, for it is the source of everything you accomplish.” 4:23 (Proverbs)
This is why, at Living Waters Fellowship, we'll be looking at the traits of the Christian heart over the next few months.
Does the heart actually love?
The heart is simply a powerful muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. Nerves in the heart detect pain and changes in the pace and rhythm of the heartbeat. We have an ancient brain, often known as a reptilian brain, that is responsible for our survival. Emotions and love are controlled by the intermediate (limbic) brain. We have a new (neocortex) brain that is in charge of making conscious decisions and acting on our own volition. The intermediate (limbic) brain perceives love. The intermediate (limbic) brain releases hormones that induce the heart to beat quicker and stronger when we view the beloved.
What is the symbol of a heart?
The heart shape is widely recognized as a symbol of romantic love and affection around the world, although its historical beginnings are obscure.
Why the shape of heart is ?
This month, love is in the air, and two-lobed hearts can be found on everything: candy, cards, decorations, you name it. It's hardly unexpected that the heart is associated with love and passion; ancient Greek and Roman thinkers, like Aristotle, considered the organ to be the core of all emotions. It's a little less evident why the heart symbol you see everywhere in February doesn't look anything like a real human heart.
The symbol dates back at least to the 1400s, when it first appeared on European playing cards to represent one of the red suits, though it could be considerably older. The shape, on the other hand, is a complete mystery. There are a few theories that have been proposed to explain it, but none of them has been proven.
The emblem is thought to have originated in the ancient African city-state of Cyrene, whose merchants dealt in the now-extinct herb silphium. The herb served as a seasoning as well as a contraceptive. Because the shape of a silphium seedpod resembles a valentine's heart, it became connected with sex and eventually with love.
Another hypothesis is that the shape resembles a pubic mound, the vulva, a pair of breasts, buttocks, or testicles. It could even be the result of a botched attempt to sketch a real heart. That shape could have resulted from a poor artist, an erroneous description of the topic, or a deformed model.
The emblem is said to have originated from a vision that Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque had in which the “Sacred Heart of Jesus,” which Catholics identify with love and devotion, appeared in this shape surrounded by thorns. But it wasn't until the late 1600s that Alacoque had this vision, well after the symbol had previously been established. The church's regular use of the form was certainly a driving influence in popularizing it as a sign of love, making it the unlikeliest of genesis stories.
What is a pure heart before God?
“This phrase suggests that people who go all out, not halfway, will see God,” Matthew, who is nine years old, explains.
Christians who are lukewarm make Jesus sick to his stomach. This isn't anything I made up. Take a look at Revelation 3:16.
Have you ever been in love and heard someone say, “I simply want to be friends with you?” Do you recall that sickening, sinking sensation? “I never want to see you again,” you almost wish you'd heard. Knowing where you stand is preferable to being offered a half-hearted relationship.
“You will see God if your heart is good and you don't have bad thoughts,” William, 10, adds. “However, you must also believe in Jesus, for good acts will not get you into paradise.”
Yes, we get ourselves into difficulties because of our faulty thinking. It's especially dangerous when you're relying on good deeds to get access to the gates of heaven.
Thousands more laws were developed as a fence around the law given to Moses by the religious authorities of Jesus' day. The notion is that if you can't reach the cookie jar, you won't steal a cookie. As a result, a religion based on outward purity developed.
When Jesus bestowed benefits on the “pure in heart,” he defied popular religious belief and practice. Cleanse your inner life first, and the rest will fall into place. “Love and do what you will,” Augustine stated.
“Purity is unique to God,” Anna, 9, remarks. “Joy overflows from the pure.” Yes, God values purity because he is pure himself. Soren Kierkegaard once observed, “Purity of heart is to will one thing.”
God has never wavered in his mission to bring everything into line with his Son. The new global order began when Jesus, as a baby born in a manger, descended from heaven and entered planet Earth.
The Apostle Paul portrays Jesus as the new Adam, who has not been tarnished by the original Adam's sin. “Becoming a part of a new humanity implies that those who have accepted Christ and believe that he died on the cross and rose again will go to heaven when they die,” Dave, 11, explains. Dave is aware that in heaven, a fully God-like resurrected man sits on his throne.
Jesus, as the firstborn from the dead, opened the gates of heaven for those who believe in him. When he hanged on a cross, the pure one wore our imperfections in his flesh.
Madison, 10, adds, “If you have a pure heart, you are blessed.” “Blessings will assist you in seeing God.”
When Moses asked to glimpse God's glory, the Lord told him that no one could live if they saw him. The difference between God's response to Moses and Jesus' promise to those who are pure in heart is astounding.
Christians are forgiven for the rest of their lives because they have received the life that comes from believing in Jesus as Savior. It's also relative in the sense that Christians must confess their sins to God in order to reestablish the closeness of fellowship that comes from being filled with and directed by the Holy Spirit.
“Those who have a pure heart will be rewarded,” Nicole, 10, adds. “They are devout Christians who study God's word.”
Allow the Lord to replace the confusion in your life with the joy that comes from having a pure heart.