Doing the right things has to flow out of having a right heart.
In Previous posts, we've navigated through the heart cycle and have seen how the heart is involved in every move we make. We’ve moved through
the deep desires of your heart
to your knowledge of Truth
to your will and commitment to follow through on being who God wants you to be and
doing what God wants you to do.
Doing VS Abiding
One thing I’ve noticed in my own life, and I think it’s probably true of others, is that it’s awfully easy to begin focusing on the doing part and forget the being part. It’s possible to make an incredible to-do list based on the work God is doing in my heart, and then to get busy doing the things and forget that it’s God who not only gives us the heart to do His will, but He also empowers us to do His will. Remember, I can DO any right and good thing on the outside while having a heart that is wrong on the inside. We don’t want to fall into that trap.
What is Abiding?
The only solution is to ABIDE. To abide means to live, to dwell, to settle down and stay put.
The picture that Jesus gives us in John 15 is of a branch abiding in the vine. The branch draws its very life from the vine, whose power flows through the branch and out into fruit. The fruit could be any good thing-church attendance, Bible reading, serving others in any capacity, whatever God wants you to do. What are some signs that you’re not abiding?
How to Tell If You're Not Abiding and What to Do About It
If you’re doing a good thing but you’re doing it out of a sense of guilt or obligation.
If you’re doing any good thing out of a desire for praise or recognition.
Or if you have dropped out of doing good things and are just doing your own thing.
What do I do? As always, when the Lord points out to you that something like this is going on in your life, you look to your heart for answers.
Ask yourself: “What am I really desiring and going after?” Caution: going here requires ruthless honesty. As far as what is going on in the heart, this means that you probably have slipped into a pattern of catering to the wrong desire. Your flesh desires recognition and praise, or comfort, or to people please. The remedy is to go back to abiding in Jesus’ heart. Read and study your Bible, concentrating on finding God’s heart in the matter. Focus in again on what He wants and why. Join in His love for His church and His purposes until you’re doing the right things for the right reasons.
What you're seeking for is to be doing the exact same outward actions but with a heart filled with joy instead of resentment.
An Example of the Nursery and Me
Let me give you an example from my life.
Our church, like most churches, has a nursery that is staffed on Sunday mornings by volunteers, and my husband Jimmy and I are on the volunteer rotation. Now, I love small children, but teaching them is not my main calling and purpose in life. But we stay in the nursery because that’s just something that the church needs to function and we’re going to do our part.
And yet, I have felt myself feeling resentful and a little huffy when I get the call that it’s my turn again. (Like, again?) That feeling of resentment is not huge, it doesn’t make me slam doors and cuss, but I just recognize it nibbling at my heart.
Here is where the Lord throws up a red flag for me. Alright, what am I desiring, really? The comfort of sitting in the worship center singing and listening to the sermon rather than the (relative) discomfort of trying to comfort a crying toddler. So I have to ask “What does Jesus want?” And I think of the story of Him with the little children. Jesus really does love the little children of the world, and I have a small privilege and opportunity to demonstrate that love to a couple of them. Jesus wants their parents to have few minutes to be set free by the truth they will hear without distraction, and I have the opportunity to help make that happen for them.
Sometimes it only takes a tweak to realign my heart with His, and I find myself doing the same thing on the outside but with love and joy on the inside.
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