With Purpose of Heart (Acts 11:23)

2024-05-11

Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. (Acts 11:23)

Barnabas came from Jerusalem and saw how wonderfully the church in Antioch abounded, with both Jews and Greeks being saved and growing. This was the missionary’s exhortation: “with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”

This exhortation is ours as well. All deliverance from sin and power to serve is in the risen Savior. We must cleave to Him, that we can know and abide and walk in this deliverance and service.

He says “purpose of heart.” This shows intention. We can start the day directionless, and that is precisely where we will go. But if the LORD’s mercies are new every morning, we must start with Him new every morning, picking up the cross daily, and dying daily.

He says “cleave.” To cleave is to continue with and grasp onto one with such resolve as to never ever let go. The husband cleaves to the wife forever. Ruth clave to her mother-in-law even when encouraged to the contrary. Though we are bound to the Lord as a servant to his master, we also voluntarily cleave to our Master. We do this cheerfully because every other so-called lord and master is destruction. Everyone has a master; your master is either Jesus or something else. Yet Jesus came to us, and we were made for Him.