What is the Engine in Your Heart?
He rescued me because He delighted in me. Delight yourself in the Lord… Psalm 18:19; 37:4
A few weeks ago, I was carrying my three-year-old son down from a hike and lost my balance. As I realised that I could not stop the fall, the only thing on my mind was protecting my son’s head and body. Without a thought for my own body, I instinctively maneuvered my body so that my knees and elbows took the fall and fully protected my son. I still wear the scars of this fall over three weeks later.
As I considered this incident, I was reminded of God, whose love for me is infinitely greater than my love for my son. Far beyond taking a simple fall, He willingly allowed His body to be torn to tatters as He considered you and me; He stepped into unimaginable isolation, darkness and pain as He came to our rescue on the cross.
We may know these truths in our minds, but to what extent is this love a day-to-day, living reality in our hearts? Do you really know that you were in His thoughts as He took your judgment?
A significant part of Christian growth is growing in the delight of God’s love. The love of God is the dynamite in our hearts which can spur real change and the engine which motivates us to obedience. The Apostle Paul experienced this love even as he had dedicated his previous life to persecuting and killing Christians. He later writes that he “resolved to know nothing” other than Christ (1 Corinthians 2:2). He had learned that all of the ultimate desires of his heart were found in God’s permanent, unshakeable love. And everything else, even his earthly life, became rubbish in comparison (Philippians 3:8) so that sacrificial decisions were made with joy. He poured out his life in grateful response.
However, our hearts are easily prone to wander and grow calloused. If you find yourself in such a place, take some time in the Word and prayer to gaze upon Christ and His love for you. And slowly but surely the Holy Spirit will help you grow in the delight of God’s love. We pray:
- God, thank you for your boundless and sacrificial love for me.
- By Your grace, please increasingly make Your love a living reality in my heart, that my obedience may become a joy and that I would be able to face anything life can throw at me with confidence, secure in Your eternal love.