First I just wanted to plug a book I’ve been reading - Extreme Devotion, by The Voice of the Martyrs. Despite it’s title containing a certain irritatingly overused word (extreme, not devotion), it is an incredible book. Contained within are short stories about “ancient to modern day believers who sacrificed everything for Christ.” These stories really force some perspective on things as you read the stories of those who have given so much for their faith. What’s really amazing is that this book, which describes the tremendous suffering of believers who have given everything to God, can make me desire to be like them.
The thought that prompted this post (which in turn was prompted by the above book) was just how naturally incompatible we are with heaven. My angry, selfish, foolish human nature does everything in it’s power to separate me from the perfection that is God, and which he has made characteristic of His heaven. Discarding these incompatible qualities is therefore necessary.
If heaven is to be a place without hate, and also a place where I am to be truly content, I must be content not to hate. All to often I hold onto my anger as a dear friend; when I feel that I have been treated unfairly, my anger is there to comfort me. My anger understands. My anger doesn’t judge me, my anger directs all guilt on those who truly deserve it. But as I use the weapons of my anger, I find myself the victim of devastating friendly fire.
Ridding myself of my anger, and those other similarly destructive qualities, is therefore necessary. Fortunately, it is not only necessary, it is possible. And there is One who has offered to do this task for me. Paul says in his second letter to the church at Corinth, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
So you might ask, why then is the old not gone away, why does it linger. This it a question I have so often asked myself (though the question may have been directed towards God, I tended to listen for my own answer more than his). The difference is the inner composition of the heart. If you were to drop a nugget of gold into the mud, it would become nearly indistinguishable from that mud. But that would not make it any less gold. With a little work the mud can be removed from the gold. But can you remove the mud from the mud? It would be absurd to claim you could. God offers us a new heart; a heart of gold, not of filth. He will not prevent me from dirtying my heart, for He has given me the ability and responsibility to make my own choices. Due to my sinful nature, far too often I make the wrong ones. But His commitment to me did not end with the alchemy of changing mud into gold. He is always there to cleanse me of the filth that hides the purity He instilled upon me. One day I will be in a place where there will be no mud to hide my heart, or even dull its sheen.
This returns me to the original topic of heavenly incompatibility. For as incompatible as I am, or as any of us are, God has the power to make us compatible. To turn mud into gold. To reformat our hearts for heaven. For anyone who has accepted Christ, that has already been done. As filthy as we sometimes feel, and as unworthy of such a reward as we know we are, our Lord has already taken care of that. Actually, He continues to do so. As we rely on him, He helps us to avoid the muck, and to cleanse us of what we don’t avoid.
What if your heart has not yet been converted? What if you don’t know where the mud ends and you begin? The reformatting of the heart is not reserved for a select few. If you want to know more feel free to ask me. And don’t forget to go to the source - God himself. He can be reached through prayer, and He wants to speak to you through His Word, the Bible.
The Bible online: http://www.biblegateway.com/
Free Bible software: http://www.e-sword.net/