The Proper Care and Feeding of our Hearts.

The Proper Care and Feeding of our Hearts. (spinoff Jas. 3 still)

Yesterday afternoon I spent some glorious time in my back garden . . . it came at the end of a rather tedious day, which included a lengthy medical appointment, a funeral, and another standby while my automobile oil was changed.  Treating myself to a stroll through a nearby nursery on my way home, I was delighted to find Queen Anne’s Lace, and purchased a few of them.  And so, when I got home, I donned a gardening apron, and began cleaning beneath old plants; with Natalie Cole serenading me, I cleared away old leaves and other debris, and planted a few new things, complete with dark, rich Kellogg’s soil.  Before I called it a day, I scratched in some rose food that would not only feed my roses, but also protect them from insects and disease.  (Note: cleared away debris, fed and protected my garden, planted new)

You know, most of us put a high premium on taking care of our bodies, including watching what we eat, getting proper nutrition and also exercising our hearts, lungs and muscles to feel strong and vital now, and also to extend our lives . . . right?  (proper care of physical heart and body)

Here’s the question – how do we take care of our spiritual hearts (minds)?  Well first, let me give you some good news.  If you have given your life to Christ—however you wish to say that—‘if you have chosen to let God lead your life’—then he has already done the biggest, greatest work that needs to be done—he has made you a new creation. 

In another lifetime, when I led my street friends in prayer meetings—sometimes 75 in a gathering, I would start the verse, “If anyone is in Christ,” they loudly finished--shouted actually, “he is a new creation.”  They got it.  Yes, Jesus Christ makes all things new.  “The old has gone!” I shouted, and they responded, “the new has come!”  Especially for those whose lives have taken a downturn, for those who have lost it all, for those who have many regrets, the possibility of becoming new is almost too good to believe.  Because except for ‘in Christ’, there are no do-overs in life. 

When we are ‘in Christ’ our entire perspective changes.  Now that is glorious indeed!  “Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person.  The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”

What does it mean to be made new in Christ?  O, where do I start?

To be made new in Christ means

         old ways are replaced by new ways of thinking and acting

         to have the chains of guilt cut away, because

                  freedom and grace take their place

         to be invited to walk and talk with God   (like Adam and Eve!)

         there is hope in tomorrow – a plan and a purpose

         the lonely are not alone, but are part of the great family of God

         the harlot can be a virgin again—not just a cleaned-up version, but pure

               the drug addict can know true health

         the orphaned and fatherless are loved by a Heavenly Father

         the liar and the thief chooses to trade in openness and truth

         the ex-convict has a clean record . . .

Dear Lord, won’t you help us

  live as those who are set free?

    ‘Those whose sins have been forgiven

      whose slates have been wiped clean? 

       ‘Whose futures are not determined by the past,

         ‘Who are not bound to this world,

           but have the hope of Heaven in our hearts? 

            ‘Who are walking with the King,

              instead of slumming with the defiled?

               ‘Who have a rich inheritance

                  and mansions in glory prepared for us!

You made us into new creations, now help us live like it.  Amen.

Now, understanding that, we must feed ourselves daily with the truth of the Word, the nourishment of God’s words to us…and establish a time to talk with God each day as well.  Ah, these are the two essential elements to feeding our spiritual hearts and minds . . . but then there is gathering together with God’s people . . . there is learning what it is to sing and yes, maybe even dance, in worship of the magnanimous, loving God we serve!  There is the breathing in of his beautiful creation, thanking him throughout the day for his gifts of life, breath, health, joy, friendship, and hope . . . and . . .

....to your spiritual health,

Christine

PastorWoman.com