Tuesday, October 26, 2010

I Have a New Heart

I have a new heart. I know it. I know it because of what I just wrote in my journal -

‘I have died to the law so that I might live for God!’ I want to stop trying to follow the rules. Figuring out what’s wise. Figuring out what’s best. What’s best for me. What’s best for them. Blah blah blah. I want to live for God! All of those things are good, but I have so much trouble making decisions. I want to live for God. I want to please Him with every decision. My heart’s desire is to love Him and love people - the new heart that He has given me anyway.


I am so incredibly selfish in my flesh. I found myself trying to explain that to a friend the other day. I really am, more than most people I think. When I got the chance to love and help a woman in need a few weeks ago, I had to battle selfishness at every turn. Every time I chose to continue to love her, I knew it was only because of Jesus. I could rejoice at selflessness knowing, "This is what my Savior has done for me." And as I laid down on the couch that night, I found myself telling the Lord, "I'm putting all my eggs in Your basket! I am fully banking on that You are who You say You are, or this is foolish. Foolish because I'm putting all my natural selfishness aside."

My flesh's heart wants to do what's best for me. That looks like taking control of how I use my time - to make sure I get everything done the way I want it and look successful. But I'm beginning to give that up. I'm starting to see the beauty in process and taking things slow and doing what's best for other people. I haven't even come close to accomplishing it. But I have a new heart, and so I know that it's possible. And life is more beautiful that way. Giving my life away. Not living in fear. Being selfless. Letting go of everything I thought I knew and living for God.

This might sound like a radical transition. Maybe it is, or maybe it's not changing the 'what' but just the 'why.' In other words, maybe it's not changing everything I do, but the heart behind it. I want the heart behind why I do things to always be the new heart I have been given and not my natural, sinful one. Does that make sense?

Call me out on it if you think I'm not following through with what I say. Tell me if you think I'm making/not making decisions out of fear. Tell me how you think I can be freer. Iron truly does sharpen iron, right?

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Make Him Known

Take a moment and read from me something I wrote on July 21, 2009. I was in Florence, Italy at the time:

I exist to know God and make Him known.
To love God and make known His love.
To enjoy God and make known His joy.
To praise God and make known his glory.
To trust God and make known his trustworthiness.
To listen to God and make known His voice.
To see God and make known His hands.
To wrestle with God and make known His infallibility.
To rest with God and make known His rest.
To go to Heaven with God and make known the path.


I love all of those, really, but tonight especially "wrestling with God and making known His infallibility" sticks out. Hallelujah to a God who is real and can stand against any test, any argument. I'm a natural doubter. Bummer. But His infallibility has shown through to me over and over again. And I'll probably question Him again tomorrow. But He loves me and is gracious enough to show Himself to me as I ask.

We exist for Him. And it's better than existing for ourselves. More painful in the short run, but much more grandiose in the long run. I love it.