Which comes first, heart or mind?

It takes heart to leap into the faith!

Almost every time you see heart and mind in the biblical text, they are in that order. Heart is first. So we are to use them in that order. But we have focused so much on the classroom version of engaging our minds in the written biblical text that we may have missed the fact that our Father starts with the heart. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”^[1](Proverbs 3:5-6). Heart is first. And second is, not leaning on our own understanding. Followed by acknowledging Him - relational. Heart and mind are together, in that order, and not separated. After spending so many years in rational thoughts about our Father, many of us know things about Him, while not knowing Him from our heart. “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”^[2] Jeremiah 29:13. It was true for Israel, and it true for us. 

I have missed His heart much of the time in the past.  When I am away from home, I try to call or FaceTime with my wife Karen. It is great to hear her voice and see her face. But as I go to sleep it is not the same as having her next to me. It is like having a picture of her on her pillow. Not the same. We treat God similarly when we approach Him with our minds and church processes only, but no depth of heart relationship.

When we miss the most important part, the heart, is not just sad, it is ineffective and wont work. Romans 10:9-10 says, “We believe with our heart and our mind.” But do we? Do we believe Him with our hearts? “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” The two passages before this one lists mind first, then heart. Yet, it is in our heart that we believe. One of the biggest problems I think we westerners have is this: It is easier to measure mind, process, programs, events and attendance. It is very hard to measure the heart. It is tough to measure when someone has become more kind. But you know it when you see growth in kindness, in love, in joy, in peace (Galatians 5:22). P. 25 Fish Prison.