How's Your Heart?

“Whatever their bodies do affects their souls.” -Screwtape, The Screwtape Letter by C. S. Lewis

Yesterday we asked ourselves, “Whose kingdom do I live in?”
If you are like me, you probably look at your external experiences or what you do to answer that question. Ignoring the vastness of our internal experiences. My hopes, desires, emotions, and thoughts. This results in trying to gauge life by impact versus what lies at the center of my actions: my heart.

Our external and internal experiences work in tandem with one another. Our actions directly affect the state of our hearts. The state of our hearts directly affects our actions. They are tied together, and cannot be separated. So, how does this help us see whose kingdom we live in? To truly see whose kingdom we live in, we must engage our hearts.

In Matthew 7, Jesus says,

15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.


The answer to our question is found in the life of the heart. In verses seventeen through nineteen, Jesus unveils his point. He says every healthy tree bears good fruit, while every diseased tree bears bad fruit. He points out the state of the trees, and only refers to the fruit they bear as it relates to the state of the tree.

We can relate this to the life of the heart.

To know whose kingdom we live in, we need to look at our actions as indicators of the state of our hearts because it directly affects our actions. Therefore, we must know the true state of our hearts to know whose kingdom we truly live in and it is a place most people choose to avoid. But, if we are to know whose kingdom we live in, we live in tune with both.

Calibration:
- Be honest, how much disillusionment do you experience while trying to live as if Jesus is king in a fallen world?
- How in touch with your heart are you? Do you ignore your heart and solely focus on your actions?
- If Jesus’ Kingdom is of Rest and the world’s Kingdom is of Chaos…What kingdom do you live in based on the state of your heart? How does your outer world and actions reflect your answer?