Chocolate has interesting properties.
It’s rigid at room temperature, yet warm it just a bit, and it loses all form and shape. Chill it, and it becomes brittle and is easily shattered. Take a bite, and chocolate causes the release of euphoria-triggering neurotransmitters in our brains.
Too much chocolate can cause hyperactivity in people, leading to feelings of lethargy. The theobromine in chocolate is dangerous for dogs. They can’t metabolize it, and it can cause cardiac arrest. Raw cacao (found in chocolate) is at the top of a very short list of the best antioxidants found in nature.
It’s no wonder Valentine hearts are made out of tasty chocolate. When we consume the treat, we get the same feelings of euphoria that come from love.
On the other hand, let the chocolate heart sit in the sun, and it will deform and be good for no one. We have to watch over our heart carefully to make sure it is always in perfect condition.
The children of Israel allowed fear to make their hearts melt. They had fled Egypt and were at the Promised Land. Twelve spies went to explore the land, and only two brought back good reports.
Caleb shares his lament in Joshua 14:8.
“But my brothers who went up with me made the heart of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God.”
Caleb trusted in the Lord. He kept his heart in perfect condition. When he viewed the Promised Land, he knew the euphoria that comes with confidence in the Lord.
The ten spies allowed fear to melt their hearts, and their trust in God was good for no one. The people were discouraged, fear melted their hearts, and the children of Israel were doomed to wander the wilderness another forty years.
When life seems overwhelming, do we succumb to fear, or do we wholly follow the Lord our God? One way makes our heart melt, and the other fills us with the euphoria that can only come from faithfully following our God and King.
Our hearts are filled with good things when we wholly follow after our God.
Copyright © 2016 MyChurchNotes.net
Code: FGO.H.30.15.vp.esv