Christians want an eternal perspective. They want to know how to respond to sorrow and sin in the world and in their own hearts. But how?
Since these are matters of the heart, the answer begins with a heart examination. When we look within, what do we find?
What first comes to mind when you ask what is in your heart?
One may answer, “I see turmoil, conflict, and sin.” That may be true. But these aren’t the most fundamental facts.
Another may say, “I have Jesus in my heart.” This is closer to the truth. But that phrase is not found in the Bible. (It’s worth reading Todd Friel’s article: Ten Reasons NOT to ask Jesus into Your Heart.)
According to the Bible, what is in the heart of a Christian?
Search your understanding. Determine whether you know. (I didn’t know clearly until I went to the Bible; I was surprised by what I found.)
If the Bible says there is something in the heart of all Christians, wouldn’t you want to know exactly what it is? Wouldn’t it be one of the most fundamental things about your identity? Something to know as naturally as you know the color of your own eyes? Pause a moment… What is it?
You need to know, because it’s the starting place for:
- Understanding sorrow
- Dealing with sin
- Keeping an eternal perspective
Here’s the answer in Scripture:
This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them (Hebrews 10:16).
God has placed his laws in our hearts. That’s our identity. As Christians, it is one of our main defining traits.
Jeremiah 31:33 promised it. Hebrews 10 tells us the promise was fulfilled.
In the next post I’ll unpack what it means to have God’s law in our hearts. We’ll see how this one simple fact changes the way we look at sorrow and sin in the world. Then we’ll know how to find the good in Christian sorrow.