"Your heart is not right in the sight of God."Acts 8:21.

"Are our hearts right in the sight of God?" Our outward life may be moral, decent, respectable, in the eyes of people. Our friends and neighbours, may see nothing very wrong in our general conduct. But all this time we may be hanging on the brink of everlasting ruin. Is our heart, as an individual, right in the sight of God?

But perhaps we are just not interested in God, or the gospel of the grace of God, and just live what would be judged to be an ordinary life like everyone else. We have an interest in our families, in amusement, popularity, power, a desire for wealth, etc. We have a job in which we try to do our best, we pay our taxes, we try to keep up the mortgage payments, etc. On the other hand we would probably never read the Bible, or pray; we give our attention to the "things of time", and never give a thought to the things of eternity.

What does the Bible say about the natural heart? It says many things which are deeply solemn, and painfully true. It says that "the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." (Jer. 17:9) It says that "every imagination of the thoughts of the heart is only evil continually." (Gen. 6:5.). It says that "From within, out of the heart of men" (as out of a fountain), "proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within." (Mar. 7:21.) Truly this is a humbling picture! The seeds of these things are in the heart of every little baby, when it is born into the world; babies are not "angels," as some people suggest. The wrong heart then is the natural heart with which we are all born. There are no hearts which are right by nature. There are no such things as naturally "good hearts," whatever some people may be pleased to say about someone "having a good heart." Every natural heart is wrong. If our heart has never been changed by the Holy Spirit since we were born, then we should know this day, that our heart is wrong.

We may have many good feelings about ourselves. We may long to "die the death of the righteous." (Num. 23:10.) We may sometimes tremble at the thought of judgment to come, or on the other hand rejoice at the news of Christ's love. But all this time we may be slowly drifting downward into hell. It is our heart which is the main thing. Is that heart right in the sight of God?

A right heart is a heart which BELIEVES on Christ alone for salvation, and in which Christ dwells by faith. (Rom. 10:10; Eph. 3:17.) It rests all its hopes of pardon from sin and eternal life on Christ's sacrifice upon the Cross. It turns to Christ just as the compass needle turns to the north. It looks to Christ for daily peace, mercy, and grace, as the sunflower looks to the sun. It feeds on Christ for its daily sustenance. It leans on Him, hangs on Him, builds on Him, cleaves to Him, as its physician, guardian, husband, and friend. Is this the type of heart that we have?

Once more we must ask ourselves, "Is my heart right in the sight of God?" I don't suppose I know any of you who are reading this article. But I do know that self-examination cannot do us any harm. Perhaps we are thinking I go to church or chapel regularly. I live a respectable life. I'm doing my best —Beware of such thoughts! We may go to the best church on earth, and hear the best preachers. We may be the best of churchmen, or the soundest member of a chapel. But all this time if our heart is not "right in the sight of God," we are on the high road to destruction. Is our heart right or wrong?

Do we really suppose that any man or woman will ever enter heaven without a "right heart"? Do we flatter ourselves that an unconverted person will ever be saved? What says the Scripture? "Except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God." "Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter the kingdom of heaven." "Without holiness no man shall see the Lord." (Joh_3:3; Mat_1:1; Heb_12:14.) We need to be born again, we need to be converted, we need to repent. We must have the Holy Spirit to renew us, as well as Christ's blood to wash us, to give us a new heart. Both renewing and washing and repentance are needful before any one can be right in the sight of God.