A Heart Like His

When I picked up the book, "A Heart Like His" by Kay Arthur, I really thought I desired a heart like His.  But I am discovering that wanting a heart like His is not enough...it requires dying to self...which is a daily battle for me.

As I have been asking the Lord to give me a heart like His I have been faced with opportunities everyday to demonstrate attitudes & actions that would reflect Him to the world.
     
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 ESV)

Loving others comes from abiding in Him in His love. Apart from Him, I want everyone around me to be courteous to ME, "to the mother with 2 small children." But I sense Him calling me to be courteous to THEIR needs. 

Why? As a recipient of grace, as I stand in awe of what He has done for me, wouldn't it be an appropriate display of my affection for God's gift to me to love on others to the glory of God? Jesus is the one, "who redeems your life from the pit,who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy." (Psalm 103:4 ESV). My deepest desire should be to know Him and to let His love be known.

"Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you." (1 Samuel 12:24 ESV)

Today at a store, a man with a cane asked if he could go before me in a long line since he only had one item and his hip was hurting.  Honestly, my thoughts were selfish--it was just before lunch, we'd been out all morning, and my kids were fussy and I only had 4 items :) As you can see, I was not displaying His heart through my attitude.  While I did honor his request, I did it with the wrong heart attitude and begrudgingly. 

My guess is Christ would have seen the need before the man even asked Him if he could go ahead of Him. I must open my eyes to needs of those God's placed around me...not only in my home, at church, at the gym, but at the store.  I talk so much about loving God and others but I must begin make every moment count for Him. Redeem the times He has given me:

    
"Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time," (Ephesians 5:15, 16 ESV)

I love the Message translation of these verses:

"Don't waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It's a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ. Wake up from your sleep, Climb out of your coffins; Christ will show you the light! So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! Don't live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants." (Ephesians 5:11, 17 MSG)

Praying that as I fall more in love with Jesus, and abide in Him, my self- serving attitude will turn into the heart and mind of Christ.

JD Greear, in his book Gospel, shares, "The Greek word meno literally means "to make your home in." When we make our home in His love--feeling it, saturating ourselves with it, reflecting on it, standing in awe of it--spiritual fruit begins to spring up naturally from us like roses on a rosebush."

I love how He explains that. We don't grit our teeth a try to be better people, we fail, on our own. We must love Jesus and in abiding in Him, we become courteous. We live fruitful days to the glory of God. This is my desire. I don't want to waste my life on meaningless things. I want to know God and make Him known; there is no greater joy-- this is what we were created to do. It is our destiny-to glorify God--in the smallest ways! (Like letting people ahead of us or doing something courteous even when it is in inconvenient).

I invite you to pray for me and with me on this. Think if every believer fell in love with Christ and began to reflect Christ everywhere they went, what could happen for the cause of Christ. Christianity is not just lip service, that is not attractive. It is loving Jesus as He commands us,

"And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31 ES