When you get your heart involved and not just your head, you develop an exciting passion for God’s chocolate, the Bible. So how do we get our heart involved? I’ve partially answered this already.
Studying the Bible gives us knowledge of the truth, but meditating on God’s Word helps us to engage the truth in a more holistic way, allowing the truth to sink into the soil of our hearts. The final step to experiencing God’s Word is to do it.
“Just Do It” might be a popular workout motto, but it doesn’t work so well with spiritual obedience. That’s because forcing ourselves to obey God out of discipline or duty doesn’t reflect a life that’s been transformed by God’s Word.
The act of obeying God can be a mere cognitive decision to do so. This kind of superficial obedience does not produce notable change in our lives. To keep ourselves from rote obedience, we need to lead with the heart.
When we fail to engage our hearts, our obedience is mere legalism: obeying because someone told us to do it. While there might be something commendable about blind obedience as an act of faith, that’s generally for exceptional circumstances or areas where we are weak with doubt.
If we develop a passion for God and His Word, like our passion for chocolate, we will be eager to do what God wants us to do because it’s what we want, too. We won’t grudgingly give to the poor because God says so; we will generously give to the poor because our heart overflows with love and compassion for people. We won’t force ourselves to stop gossiping; we will become protective of the lives, feelings, and reputations of others who aren’t present because God loves them.
God’s Word changes our hearts. As our heart begins to beat in time with the heart of the Lord, the result is going to feel so natural it won’t seem like obedience at all. It will just become who we are.
As you read the Bible, listen for God’s heartbeat. God’s cardio program will look something like this:
- Read the Bible.
- Ask God to change your heart.
- Step out of your comfort zone.
- Pay attention to the results over time.
Let God’s cardio program work on your life and gradually (or sometimes in fits and starts) you will see the results of God’s cardio program. You’ll feel better than ever before.
You have nothing to lose except pounds of selfishness, but you’ll gain spiritual fitness and a tender heart.
This is an excerpt from Sweeter Than Chocolate: Developing a Healthy Addiction to God’s Word. Used by permission.
Sweeter Than Chocolate 