Lawrence Faucette did. The 58-year-old Navy veteran, this month, received a new one—a pig’s heart. The heart he was born with was failing him, leading him on an immediate, imminent end-stage course. But for the second time ever, a pig heart was transplanted into a living human recipient. “He is breathing on his own, and his heart is functioning.”
We all need to be wary of our heart because God—the Master Cardiologist—is. A bad heart is a universal reality of the human spiritual condition. The prophet Samuel warns us that God is an examiner of the heart.
7But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God [sees] not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
A heart examination was at the heart of God’s selection of first successful king of Israel. Here is the back story. Prophet Samuel—God’s proxy—is reviewing the sons of Jesse to select the second king of Israel. The first king, Saul, failed miserably. Seven sons were paraded before Samuel: tall ones, short ones, shy ones, gregarious ones. They failed to measure up. The criterion was not height but heart. But it was the eighth son—David, who was dutifully tending sheep—who was anointed as king.
The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you” 1 Samuel 13:14
The first king—Saul—had a bad heart, a heart not after God’s heart. What are the signs of a bad heart like Saul’s?
Self-deception of our sins is a sign of a bad heart. King Saul got out of his lane. He acted as a priest in offering sacrifices, a role reserved for the Prophet Samuel in order to gain the favor of God before going into battle. Samuel was late, so Saul took it upon himself to act as priest. He rationalized his sin this way:
'Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not asked the favor of the LORD.' So, I forced myself and offered the burnt offering." I Sam. 13:12
Self-exaltation seen in partial obedience is a sign of a bad heart. King Saul compromised following the commandments of God fully. When God commanded him to utterly destroy the Amalekites—King, man, women, livestock and child—he spared their king and kept their sheep, rationalizing the livestock could be used in sacrifices to God. He blamed the peer pressure of the people for this decision (1 Sam.15:21). This led the Prophet Samuel to set the record clear:
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed better than the fat of rams. 1 Sam. 15:22c.
On the other hand, the chief sign of a “heart toward God” is repentance and a desire for your will to line up with God’s will; your heart to beat in time with God’s heart like David. He was far from perfect. When he confessed his adultery with Bathsheba, he prayed for a heart transplant as seen in Psalm 51:
"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit." Psalm 51:10-12
Application
1. Recognize the signs of a bad heart
Address the self-deception of your sins. Call it what it is when you disregard the welfare of others—selfishness; when you abandon church—apostacy; when you tell half-truths—lying; when you eye-cheat on your spouse—adultery; when you spend more time treating guns like a god—idolatry; when you refuse to forgive—unfaithfulness.
Acknowledge your self-exaltation. Where are you partially obeying God? What areas of your life do you refuse to turn over to him? What things do you give yourself credit for where the credit belongs to God?
2. Seek a healthy spiritual heart
A pig’s heart transplant maybe a viable option for physical heart disease. We pray for the best for Lawrence Faucette and his new heart. But the answer to the demise of out spiritual heart, has only one option: the hand of theMaster Cardiologist operating in you chest.
Beautiful!!! I so needed this! Thank you Pastor O!