The Self-Seeking Heart
ByReal change comes as we allow our flawed Body of Truth to be flooded, torn from its foundations and swept away by the truth of Christ. Spiritual growth and change come when our ideas about the specifics of right and wrong are turned upside down and we stop justifying right and wrong on the basis of what we want. Most Christians today believe they have rights and they believe their life is their business. I challenge you to find support for either of those ideas in scripture. They are not there and they are not a part of authentic Christian life.
At the heart of spiritual growth is change. At the heart of change is altering what we believe to be true. The things we believe to be true determine the details of what we believe to be right and wrong. The things we believe to be right and wrong determine our choices. The choices we make determine the results we experience. At the bottom of this complex process is a self-seeking heart that wants what it wants when it wants it. This self-seeking heart wants to be comfortable and wants to be happy. It is prideful, arrogant and evil in the eyes of God. It seeks to glorify and raise itself above other men, and even God. This self-seeking heart is the power that fuels our flawed body of truth.
You described our desperate state well in explaining our ‘self-seeking’ heart. When we get to the point where we can truly see God’s sorrow over our selfish choices, then, and only then can we truly repent and accept God’s grace. Thanks for the wise words from you that pop into my email, always giving me a clearer picture of who God is and how much I am loved.