An Open Heart

by Bill Irby

March 9, 2010

AN OPEN HEART
On Tuesday of this week one of our fine members, brother Wendell Phillips, had open heart surgery at the Huntsville Hospital. Wendell came through the surgery in great shape and is doing fine. We continue to pray for his recovery and quick and safe return home.
As noted, we call the kind of surgery Wendell had “open heart” surgery. This is a reference to the nature of the surgical procedure. I’m old enough to remember when this sort of operation was just beginning to be done. Now it is routine, though I suspect not routine to the one undergoing the procedure. It is a blessing and we thank God for it.
When I hear the words “open heart” I am made to think of Luke 8:5-15. This is the parable of the sower, or as it is also known, the parable of the soils. The meaning of the parable turns on the condition of the heart of man. As we all know and as the events of this week bear out, the condition of a man’s physical heart is of utmost importance. So it is with our spiritual heart.
In the first part of the parable Jesus describes a farmer who is spreading seed by a hand broadcast method. Some falls on the wayside and the birds eat it. Some fell on the rock and withered. Some fell among thorns and became choked. Other seed fell on good ground and bore much fruit. You likely remember the second part of the passage. Jesus said, “Now the parable is this: The seed is the Word of God.” The wayside seed was carried away by the Devil. The seed on the rock was received by the hearers but never developed roots. That on the thorny ground was destroyed by the desire for the pleasures of this life.
Then we have verse 15: “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” The adjectives used to describe the heart associated with the good ground are “honest” and “good.” For a heart to be honest and good in this context means that it accepts the Word of God and bears the resultant fruit. When a heart accepts the Word of God the owner of that heart becomes a Christian and endeavors to be faithful to God.
Such a heart is “open,” not in the physical way experienced by our brother, but spiritually. The good and honest heart must be open to the truth and not only that, but it must accept and obey it.
An open heart belongs to the person that recognizes the reality of sin in his life. We all sin (Romans 3:23, 1 John 1:5-10), but some of us pretend that we do not. We act as if we are above such things. We attempt to redefine our favorite sin as perhaps not being so bad, after all. Some folks just refuse to admit the reality of sin altogether. But the person with an open heart knows sin for what it is and with God’s help, resists it.
An open heart belongs to the person who will listen to the gospel, learn it and obey it (Romans 1:16, Acts 2:38). The open heart is open to the message that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the Living God. An open heart leads to a saved soul. An open heart is a blessing because it moves its owner closer to God.
Heart surgery is frequently necessary to treat disease of the physical heart and we are glad that we can have it when we need it. God will lovingly work on our spiritual hearts if we would let Him. The wise man is sure to have an open heart toward God.