I was in the car riding with a friend to the
store when he began talking about something that I could tell really
affected him. His words were heavy, but I knew his heart felt even
heavier.  On the outside, no one would be able to tell this particular
issue meant much to him. His demeanor didn't seem abnormal; his face or tone didn't show much emotion. However, if one truly listened to
the words he was speaking, they could tell this issue greatly impacted him inwardly.

In this moment, I felt the Lord grab my attention, "Look beyond his
words - look at his heart."

I believe the Lord was asking me, is asking
me, to become like Him--looking beyond the outside and attentively
looking towards the inside of a person. For He doesn't look at the outward
appearance, but rather He looks at the heart (1 Sam. 16:7). When I tuned in to my friend's
heart, I began to have compassion ...understanding...and a sincere
and brotherly love for him.  I believe it's important for me, you, us
to listen not to the words, but to the heart, because I think He's
wanting to use us.  He's wanting us to speak, but first we must listen.

Because only when we are listening to the heart can we have compassion, understanding, and love...

only when we're listening to the heart...

can we speak to the heart.

The Lord is desperately pursuing after our hearts. And I think that He's
sending us on a quest to help capture people's hearts for Him. To be apart of this pursuit. That's
why He's putting us in places like a passenger seat

to listen like
He listens...

to speak like He speaks...

to capture their hearts with
His understanding and His compassion and His love.

His word says that we should no longer recognize anyone according to the flesh...(2 Cor. 5:16)

Christ doesn't see someone the way the world does; the world looks on the outside. Instead,
He gazes upon people and sees what His Father sees. Their hearts.

His word also says that because the Holy Spirit lives inside of those
who believe, we have access to the depths of God. He wants my life to be
filled with both spiritual thoughts and spiritual words (1 Cor.
2:10-16). As I seek my Father's heart, I join in on the adventure of
seeing hearts captured by His grace and love. In this adventure, I
think He also wants to partner with me in seeing this. As I begin to
know the depths of God, my thoughts and words become like His.

And His
heart is revealed...

through me. 

As a result, He uses me to capture
hearts...

for Him.

He wants to partner with me. As a groom would with his bride. As a father would with his son.

God wants His heart to be known, and God used Christ to not only reveal
His heart but also to capture the hearts of His children. Because His
children bring Him glory. 

So, we must intimately know our Father and become like Him.

Thinking like Him.

Listening like Him.

Speaking like Him.

Looking where He looks. At the heart.

This was the very life of Christ. The life that captured hearts for the Father.

And we must become like Christ, for it is no longer us who lives,

but Christ who lives inside of us (Gal. 2:20).