Isaiah 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.
Good Relationships Require Heart
I will never forget the day I was married. It was a wonderful day! But while marriage may begin with a ceremony, it requires effort, commitment, love, and cultivation every day. Good relationships require your heart.
Quoting the book of Isaiah, Jesus said in Mark 7:6, “This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.” He was talking specifically of the religious leaders of His day who were a perfect reflection of the people of God of Isaiah’s day. In both cases, God’s people had let their relationship with God go on autopilot, and none of their sacrifices, assemblies, or prayers were pleasing to God. God has nothing if He does not have your heart. Service without heart is dead.
Isaiah 1:19 says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” Isaiah is talking here about the will and heart of God’s people and their affection for God that compels their service to Him. Just like a man without a heart is dead, so service without a heart, affection, love, commitment, and obedience is dead.
What does God want from you? He wants you to be willing to do whatever He wants you to do, and obedient as He shows you what that is. None of us “have it all together,” but all of us can be what we ought to be if our heart attitude is one of willingness and obedience every day. That is how a good relationship with God grows.