Naked. We enter this world naked and we’ll leave it naked. Well, that’s how King Solomon put it in Ecclesiastes 5:15, “Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb, and as everyone comes, so they depart…” Although this truth is obvious in physical terms, it doesn’t apply to the spiritual. In the physical it’s automatic…death has no clothing; but in the spiritual it’s possible to leave this world with a heart that’s still disguised and covered. We must apply intentionality to keep and maintain an innocent and naked heart before God.
I truly believe that one of our main personal spiritual purposes and responsibilities is to leave this world with a naked heart. When we’re born, we enter this world with a pure and untainted heart. Like a new computer hard drive, free of any programming and viruses, we embark in this world’s journey ready to be programmed by the experiences of life and its people. But once introduced to the Gospel and obtaining an understanding of our relationship with God, the process of acquiring and maintaining a naked heart begins.
The thought of being naked is one of vulnerability, exposure and liability. Our clothing, or the things we use to cover-up who we really are, becomes our mental insurance policy against the thoughts and judgments of those who observe our lives. God created us with naked hearts. And this nudity is symbolic of our purity and authenticity.
Above anything else, we need a pure heart; a heart with untainted motives. This keeps all things of life in check. I believe it’s the key to success in every area of life. If we keep our hearts blameless, absent from the contamination of self-aggrandizement, greed and pride, God has full reign to connect us with His perfect will for our lives. We will definitely be able to “see God” work in every area of our lives and ministry. Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
So how do we do this? We do this by living and working our lives on the two pillars of repentance and humility. This is how we acquire a naked heart. Repentance and humility are synonymous in nature. You can’t have one without the other. Our platform in life must be founded on constant repentance and unvarying humility. In the end, God will judge all of us. We will stand before Him, naked. And the only thing that we can bring to God after death is our heart. This heart must be returned to Him the same way He created it, pure, untainted and naked.
“Lord, help me keep my heart naked.”
