Remove the Fat from Your Heart!

"Their heart is as fat as grease, but I delight in Your law" (Psalm 119:70)

Can fat accumulate in the heart and cause obesity? According to Professor Im Soo, an internal medicine specialist at Bundang Seoul National University Hospital, just as fat accumulates in the abdomen and causes obesity, fat can also accumulate in the heart, leading to what is known as "cardiac obesity." And if one has "cardiac obesity," even if they are not obese overall, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is significantly higher (source: internet). The problem is that the heart muscle cannot move by willpower, meaning we cannot directly remove fat from the heart. Therefore, to reduce heart fat indirectly, it is necessary to maintain a healthy weight, avoid excessive intake of salt and saturated fats, consume a lot of fiber from fresh vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, and exercise regularly (source: internet).

In today's Bible verse, Psalm 119:70, we see people suffering from "cardiac obesity." In other words, in this passage, we find people whose hearts are covered in fat. These people are the proud and those who fabricate lies to attack the psalmist (v. 69). As I meditated on this passage, it occurred to me that not only our adversaries as Christians, but we ourselves can also cover our hearts with fat. In other words, we too can allow fat to accumulate in our hearts, making us proud and deceitful, hiding the glory of God, and becoming obstacles to the spread of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why does this fat accumulate in our hearts? The cause is that we do not delight in the law of the Lord (v. 70) and we do not keep His commandments (v. 69). More specifically, the reason why our hearts accumulate fat, becoming proud and deceitful, is that we have not placed the Lord's Word in our hearts (v. 11). Because we do not keep His commandments, His Word does not become our possession, and thus fat accumulates in our hearts (v. 56). Therefore, when we turn away from the Lord’s commandments (v. 10), we are sinning against Him (v. 11). And our hearts turn toward greed (v. 36).

What should we do? We need to remove the fat from our hearts. How is this possible? How can we remove the fat from our hearts?

First, we need beneficial suffering.

We need the affliction of a faithful God (v. 75). The reason is that, through beneficial suffering, we come to realize our wrongdoings (v. 67) and, by learning His statutes (v. 71), we are able to keep His Word (v. 67).

Secondly, we must properly consume God's Word.

To do this, we must delight in God's Word (v. 70). And we must meditate on it all day long (v. 97). Therefore, we must be wise and discerning (vv. 98-99). Only then will we have spiritual discernment to distinguish between truth and lies, rejecting the false and choosing the true to nourish ourselves.

Thirdly, we must obey and act according to God's Word.

We must obey the voice of God that speaks to us while meditating on His Word day and night through the suffering we have learned. As we obey, God's Word will be written on our hearts. And as we obey, the fat in our hearts will be removed, and instead, spiritual muscles will grow within us. When our hearts have spiritual muscles, we will have the spiritual power to reject all sin, such as pride and deceit. In this way, even if we face persecution and trials because of our enemies, we will not only be able to overcome fear in our hearts but also keep our hearts from straying to the left or right, thus avoiding sinning against God.

Devoted to removing the fat from our hearts,

Pastor James Kim
(Wishing for our hearts to be strengthened with spiritual muscles)