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Gleanings From The Word

Tag: Matthew. rock

  • “Follow Your Heart? Not Biblical Advice 

    “Follow Your Heart? Not Biblical Advice 

    follow your heart or follow God - which path will you choose

    There’s a common piece of advice out there. It simply says “Follow Your Heart!”

    It sounds so simple, so warm and fuzzy. It sounds incredibly wise. After all, if you truly follow your heart, what could possibly go wrong? It’s the key to enjoying life.

    There’s only one problem with it. It’s absolutely ungodly advice.

    Here’s what the Bible teaches about the condition of the human heart.

    “The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; who can know it? Jeremiah 17:9

    We are fallen beings with a sin nature. Left to our own devices, we will choose anything over the God who loves us. We’ll pick darkness over light more often than not. We’ll choose short-term pleasure over long-term growth. We will hurt others to get what we want.

    Following your heart is dangerous. It leads straight down the broad highway to hell and destruction. It promises things that can never be sustainably delivered.

    Our fleshly nature is flawed. We need to be guided by the Holy Spirit and the Word. The LORD is our Creator, Jesus our redeemer and the Holy Spirit our indwelling guide. God loves us to an unimaginable degree, and He knows far better what is good for us than we do.

    Even after we’ve been born again, we struggle against our flesh and the desires of our hearts. Paul put it this way,

    For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. Romans 7:15-18

    Believers must trust the Spirit to guide us. We need the Word to teach us and the church to hold us accountable.

    In the path of righteousness is life, And in its pathway there is no death. Proverbs 12:28

     “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is narrow, and the way that leads to life is constricted, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

    Don’t follow your heart. Let His path guide you. Allow Him to change your desires into the desires of His heart, He will never lead you astray.

    May the Lord guide your steps.

    Be blessed 

    Kevin 

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    SUMMARY

    This devotional challenges the popular but unbiblical advice to “follow your heart,” contrasting it with Scripture’s warning that the human heart is deceitful and cannot be trusted as a guide. It calls believers instead to be led by the Holy Spirit and the Word, walking the narrow path of righteousness rather than the broad way that feels natural but leads to destruction.

    KEY POINTS

    The heart is deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9) and even believers wrestle with their flesh, as Paul describes in Romans 7 

    “Follow your heart” sounds wise but actually leads down the broad road to destruction (Matthew 7:13-14) 

    True guidance comes from the Holy Spirit, the Word, and the church, not from fleshly desire

    In search of a good church?

    Some thoughts on finding a good church

    Find a good church

    Live in Abbotsford? There are many good churches. This is where I attend.

    Thoughts on right belief and right living

  • Upon This Rock

    Upion this rock - large rock small stone

    In Matthew 16 is a well-known but controversially understood verse. Jesus asks the disciples who they think He is and gets various replies. Upon hearing Peter’s reply, Jesus says, “…and upon this rock I will build My church.”

    He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. Matthew 16:16-18

    The New Testament was written in Koine Greek, the common, less formal Greek language.  There are nuances that don’t transfer over to English. There is an important word play here that doesn’t come across well in our language.

    Jesus calls Peter petros, a word meaning a very small stone. The word we translate as ‘rock’ is petra, meaning a massive, immovable bedrock. 

    This same word, petra, is used elsewhere in the bible to describe absolute stability. The wise man builds his house on petra (Matthew 7:24). The solid petra is where Jesus tomb was carved (Matthew 27:60).

    The idea that Jesus the Christ is the rock is further reinforced in Scripture. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul identifies the imagery with Christ, stating, “…that Rock was Christ.” Similarly, throughout the Old Testament, “Rock” is a title reserved for God, not a human leader (see Psalm 18:2)

    When Jesus is saying “upon this rock…” What is he saying?

    By moving from the image of a “small stone” to that of “solid bedrock,” we are gently drawn into a deeper understanding. When Jesus said, “upon this rock,” He pointed beyond the strength of any one man to something far more enduring—the truth that had just been revealed: that He is the Messiah.

    Peter was chosen, shaped, and given a meaningful role, yet even he stood upon that same foundation. The strength of the Church does not rise from human ability, but from the unshakable reality of who Christ is.

    And so the Church stands—firm, steady, and secure—because it is built upon this rock: the living truth of Jesus Himself.

    Hold fast to the petra, the living bedrock of Jesus.

    Be blessed

    Kevin

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    Spread of the Gospel

     Summary

    In Matthew 16, Jesus contrasts Peter (a small stone) with the “rock” (petra), pointing not to Peter himself but to the foundational truth that Jesus is the Messiah. The Church is built on this unshakable reality—Christ Himself—not on human strength.

    Three takeaways:

    The “rock” refers to the revealed truth of Jesus’ identity, not merely Peter as a person.

    Scripture consistently uses “rock” (petra) as a symbol of divine stability, often pointing to God or Christ.

    The Church’s foundation is secure because it rests on who Jesus is, not on human leaders.

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