In Christ, the deepest problems have the simplest solutions. Two Sundays ago, we saw that King Asa did not finish well; his prosperity shielded from himself and others the bent of his heart, away from God. God responded by calling him to faith: “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him.” (2 Chron. 16:9) 

Whose heart is blameless? Not mine, not in practice. I sin; you sin. It is blameless in position - in Christ, we stand before God blameless, in the resurrection purity of Christ. 

But positional blamelessness always exhibits itself - sooner or later - in a Christian’s heart and life. There is a condition of heart that God calls blameless, and that therefore invites His gaze. 

Isaiah put it this way: “But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit [read: heart] and trembles at my word.” (Isa. 66:2)

The greatest thing a human being can experience is that the eyes of Almighty God might fall upon her personally, not in wrath, but in pleasure. Blamelessness invites that. In Christ, Christians have that, positionally. And in order to be in that place, we take up a certain stance, a stance that holds hands with faith in Christ: humility, contrition, need. God counts this as blamelessness, because it is the only way a sinner can actually come to God through Christ - the soul, humbly bent in contrition, toward God. 

This stance of soul attracts His gaze, because it rests on the most valuable thing in the world, His Son. Perhaps this is why God allowed Asa to sin, and us. He could stop us, but He instead commandeers our sin to show us back to us what is most necessary in us, above all else: a heart humbly turned to him, in contrition and faith. God values this more than perfection; perfection He already accomplished for us by Christ. 

Jesus put it this way, in my Bible reading this morning: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3-4)

I don’t know if Asa died saved or not. But prosperity seems to have made him dangerously adult-like. Regardless, the solution was/is so, so simple: to humble ourselves, toward Him. To cling to Him, sorry for our pride. Contrite, child-like clinging to Him is enough. God loves this heart, and calls it blameless.