Holiness: His Writings on my heart
Hello Friends… Welcome back!
As we accept Christ’s atoning death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins, past and future; We then move into the New Life we are called to daily, as we journey with God from now on.
What does this journey look like? For many of us it is a challenge to wrap our head and hearts around it. This is due to our understanding of “the real Physical world we live in” vs. “the real Spiritual world we have now been born into… through our Salvation in Christ. Remember, we were separated from God’s Spiritual side of life since the Fall of mankind through Adam and Eve. (Original Sin) Our Salvation changes all that. We now begin to live and journey in our Heavenly Father’s Spiritual paradigm… even as we still live in this Physical world. This personal and intimate relationship is critical to the transformation God seeks to create in us through the Holy Spirit abiding in us. This is indeed some heady stuff to ponder on.
Before we get into the journey, it is important for us to understand the difference between the Religion we practice, and the intimate Relationship God desires to have with us.
Religion
re·li·gion | ri-ˈli-jən
1a : the state of a religious b(1) : the service and worship of God or the supernatural (2) : commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance 2 : a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs, and practices 3 archaic : scrupulous conformity : conscientiousness 4 : a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith.
Much of this definition of Religion speaks to the structure of our faith and practice. Much like our bodies have bones and muscles that give us form and structure.
But a Relationship with God breathes life into the form and structure of our faith to permeate His mind, heart and life into us.
Relationship
re·la·tion·ship | ri-ˈlā-shən-ˌship
1 : the state of being related or interrelated studied the relationship between the variables 2 : the relation connecting or binding participants in a relationship: such as a : kinship b : a specific instance or type of kinship 3a : a state of affairs existing between those having relations or dealings had a good relationship with his family b : a romantic or passionate attachment
“The key that unlocks this puzzle is our heart.”
~Heartlife
I bring this up here because so many of us trip over the semantics of these two concepts. (ie. Religion and Relationship) The key that unlocks this puzzle is our heart. Our heart is the door to our soul. It is our inner core of thoughts, motives, feelings, and desires… and we control it.
But now, as we submit our lives to our Heavenly Father, we are born Spiritually into our Family relationship with Him. Grafted by our adoption through Christ; His Son, our Savior, and sealed in relationship by the Holy Spirit, the very presence of God who lives in and through our lives… holy for God. Our lives become Living Temples that God indwells, not of bricks and mortar like the Temple and Tabernacle of old; but of the Heart.
Our relationship with God grows as we connect, interact, and walk daily with Him. Just as our parents were our providers when we were children; now our lives focus on our primary and intimate relationship with Him. How does this happen you ask? That’s a great question…one that He has hoped you would ask! Throughout the entire Bible, God has spoken many times of His desire for our lives to be in relationship with Him as His people, and He, as our God. ♥
- Gen. 17:7 “And I will establish my covenant between me and you…”
- Ex 6:7 “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God…”
- Jer 30:22 “And you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
- Jer.31:33 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
These are just a small cluster of the many verses in which God claims us as His people. Holy for him. For more, click here.
We spoke before about the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives in “Walking In His Presence” and this is where the real adventure begins. God has laid out in His word, the Bible, everything we will ever need to know about what He desires for us. He is our Father, and we are His people. Growing in relationship and trust, learning the ground rules. Learning to love, honor, serve, and obey.
As we read, ponder, question and pray through the pages of His Word; the Holy Spirit will show us Who is God?, What is He like? What does He love and why?? What does He hate and why? These questions and more are found throughout God’s Word, the Bible. As our relationship with God grows in His Spirit and likeness; He will be writing His Truth and plan on our heart. His Mind and heart will give us wisdom and discernment for any situation, and He will be right there with us every step of the way.
As we close today let’s remember…
Our Hearts’ response to Faith can be simply a Religion that speaks to the structure of our faith and practice. (Checklist) Much like our bodies have bones and muscles that give us form and structure… without life. (Dead) But a Relationship with God breathes life into the form and structure of our faith; to permeate His mind, heart and life into us. We have the choice of controlling our lives to “Do the Right thing” for God; or surrendering our control to God into a living breathing relationship with Him. It all comes down to where our heart is… God desires to write His story on our heart forever! ♥