I love football. I love steak. I love my truck. I love — you fill in the blank. We love a lot of good things. We enjoy them and we cherish them. There is nothing wrong with loving something or someone. It is a good thing. But I love what one author said in a book I was reading: “A desire for a good thing becomes a bad thing when that desire becomes a ruling thing.”
The true essence of the Christian life is making sure that Jesus Christ, and He alone, rules our heart. He should occupy the throne, and He alone should be the one who rules it. This is where the battle is every day in our lives — the battle for our hearts. You see, good things can easily become controlling things if we don’t watch out. The desire for them can easily compete for our affection and attention. That is when they begin to shape our lives — our words and our behavior.
Remember when you first experienced love as a teenager? You saw him or her and your knees got weak. Being with that person was all you thought about. You even found yourself liking the things they liked and doing the things they did — not because you really enjoyed them, but because of the person you loved. That love ruled your heart so completely that it affected the way you thought, talked, and behaved. Young love is a good thing, but it isn’t meant to rule our hearts. God is.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” — James 1:17
God is the source of all that is good in our lives. So if the good things we love and enjoy come from Him, then our affection and attention should be on the source of all good things.
The battle for us every day takes place in our hearts. The jockeying for a seat on the throne of our hearts is real and constant. We are always placing the love for something or someone on that throne, and it is vital that we remember this reality. There are only two places where our affection and attention can be invested: the Creator or the creation. You choose.
It’s not wrong to enjoy all that God has created, but if it rules our hearts, it becomes a spiritual disaster. Check your heart daily. Ensure that your love for good things always points you to a greater love for the source of those good things.
Remember that first love??? Chances are high that your attention and affection for that person changed over time, when something or someone else came along that you wanted more. Be careful with love and matters of the heart — it can be tricky.
BE ENCOURAGED!
