I just don't have the heart for it. Try as I might, I can't make myself do what I ought to do. And that becomes the source of never-ending guilt.
Sound familiar? That's the dilemma of anyone who tries to take seriously the requirements of God. Little wonder that many people just give up and turn their back on the whole thing. An impossible God with impossible standards.
No one truly has the heart for it, but that need not be a bad thing. Consider:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." (Ezekiel 36.26-27)
The cynic gives up on God and His ways when his/her best efforts fail. Of course, that's never what God intended. The One who gave the pathway also gives the power. It's a bit like the teacher who gives both the test and the answers. It's not nearly as difficult as many imagine.
I marvel at the realm of Spirit life. The God of creation places the very Spirit that created all things within the heart of the believer. This creates what we might call "holy passion" - a burning desire to walk in His ways, and away from sin and wickedness. So, it's not about trying harder, but yielding more.
Romans twelve, verses one and two outline a fundamental choice we all face every day: conformity to the mindset of the world, or transformation through a renewed mindset by the power of Holy Spirit. We choose daily to conform, or be transformed. It is a mental choice, and a mental battleground. How we think and feel is how we live.
I don't have the heart for it. But, I rejoice that I serve a Father who gives me the heart and mind to live for Him.
May your walk in the Spirit today be God-pleasing and productive for the kingdom.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
Sound familiar? That's the dilemma of anyone who tries to take seriously the requirements of God. Little wonder that many people just give up and turn their back on the whole thing. An impossible God with impossible standards.
No one truly has the heart for it, but that need not be a bad thing. Consider:
"I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances." (Ezekiel 36.26-27)
The cynic gives up on God and His ways when his/her best efforts fail. Of course, that's never what God intended. The One who gave the pathway also gives the power. It's a bit like the teacher who gives both the test and the answers. It's not nearly as difficult as many imagine.
I marvel at the realm of Spirit life. The God of creation places the very Spirit that created all things within the heart of the believer. This creates what we might call "holy passion" - a burning desire to walk in His ways, and away from sin and wickedness. So, it's not about trying harder, but yielding more.
Romans twelve, verses one and two outline a fundamental choice we all face every day: conformity to the mindset of the world, or transformation through a renewed mindset by the power of Holy Spirit. We choose daily to conform, or be transformed. It is a mental choice, and a mental battleground. How we think and feel is how we live.
I don't have the heart for it. But, I rejoice that I serve a Father who gives me the heart and mind to live for Him.
May your walk in the Spirit today be God-pleasing and productive for the kingdom.
Steve
©Steve Taylor, 2011
posted by steve @ 8:47 AM
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