Attitude of the Heart

Today was prison ministry day....I hadn't been in a few weeks so was pretty excited about going today and seeing the ladies. My fearless leader is teaching a series on Revelation, and they love it! Our discussions today led us down lots of roads, one about "once saved always saved." One of our older learned ladies asked about that idea....she couldn't understand how if someone is saved, how can there be no fruit...and is that concept just a license to sin? Hmmm....well, one of the big objectives in this ministry is to teach salvation by grace, and eternal security...and this was an opportunity. The end answer was about the attitude of the heart. If someone really believes in their heart that Jesus Christ died for them, was buried and then rose again the third day, and really accepts the gift of salvation in their heart, then a change is evident. God says, "...if anyone be in Christ, he is a new creature." Our fruit does testify to which tree we belong. Once saved always saved doesn't give us a license to live a life of sin.

That really got me thinking and considering all that was going on in my life right now. The attitude of the heart is everything...not the actions, but where the heart is. Where is my heart? What do I really care about? What has my heart? The answer to those questions determine my actions. The action is just a result of my heart attitude. Hmmm....again....

God really orchestrated my day. I didn't have to work today which meant we weren't rushing to get out of jail (LOL) and get back to the city. We had some time to talk and answer questions. As we were leaving the 2nd Pod, two of the ladies from the 1st Pod were trying to talk to us through the door. The guard opened the door for us where we learned they had forgotten to turn in their correspondence course earlier so gave those to the guard to give to us. She handed them to us, and we gave them the next one in the series. HA....they were chasing us down, trying to catch us, all to get the next study! Wow...wow...and I mean WOW. Still amazed by that...get to the front desk to sign out and the GED instructor is there. He starts telling us how much he appreciates what we do, and all God has been revealing to him. He says that he has noticed a marked difference in them especially over the last three months. That was about the time we started the correspondence course! [Smile] We had no idea what God would do with this, but they asked for a Bible study, our church carries a course that no one was using, and we jumped in. God invited us to join Him in a work He was already doing. We got to respond, and now we get to see Him work in these lives.

We so wanted to shout...to cry...all in amazement. God is so good...so faithful. I looked around today at their faces, trying to put names to faces so I could remember. Mail call came-many stepped out and then back in. Tears streamed down their faces. Suddenly, I felt so small and nothing in my life seemed all that pressing. They are kids, they are adults, they are mothers, sisters, and wives. How did they get to the place they are at, and how do they get out?Attitude of the heart. What changes our heart? God's Word...and it is changing them...and it is changing me.