Love Filling the Heart

Photo by Nicola Fioravanti on Unsplash

“I have hidden your word in my heart
    that I might not sin against you.” - Psalm 119:11

Sometimes scripture describes our hearts as a sort of receptacle that you can fill with, well, whatever you choose. On the one hand, you can hide God’s word in your heart, like the psalmist. On the other hand, Jesus warns us to be mindful of what we put into our hearts, or they may end up filled with evil thoughts, murder, greed, lustful desires, envy, and more (Mark 7:20-23).

John Wesley, one of the fathers of the Methodist movement, talked about our hearts, too. In his preaching and teaching, Wesley challenged Christians to strive for perfection—like Jesus said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48 KJV) To our ears, that probably sounds a little lofty and unrealistic. But I’ve always loved how Wesley explained “perfection.”

But what is perfection? … it means perfect love. It is love excluding sin; love filling the heart, taking up the whole capacity of the soul… For as long as love takes up the whole heart, what room is there for sin therein? (“The Scripture Way of Salvation,” I.9, III.14)

He doesn’t describe someone who perfectly keeps every rule or perfectly avoids every pitfall. He describes a heart that’s been filled up with love—what Paul wrote about in Romans 5:5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” If your heart is filled to the brim with God’s love, Wesley figured, there won’t be any room left for sin in there.

Following Jesus faithfully isn’t about checking all the right boxes. It’s about filling your heart with the right things. If we are careful and deliberate with our hearts, our lives will be transformed, because everything we do flows from there (Prov 4:23).

So… what have you been filling your heart with lately?

What things have you been dwelling on? What things have you been treasuring, with your thoughts, your money, or your time? What do you give pride of place in your schedule every day? What are you sure to make time for, and never, ever neglect?

Things that give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to pour God’s love into your heart?

Scripture, that you’re carefully hiding away in your heart, as an internal compass and an anchor for resisting sin’s pull?

Things that feed your envy, your pride, your lust, your rage?

What are you filling your heart with?

And what do you need to begin to fill your heart with today?

Listen to this week's devotional right here!