Communicating Our Heart
I have a dear friend who is walking through a very hard time. She reached out to ask for some support and guidance on how to navigate some of the incredibly challenging things she is facing. “As a follower of Jesus, I just really want to honor God in how I handle all of this.”
That pinged my Spirit and has stuck with me.
This sweet friend is a newer believer, yet her response to a really difficult situation was mature and inspiring. She wanted to show her love for God and for people in the way that she responded to this trial because she’s aware of a powerful practical truth- our actions often speak louder than our words. There is no place that truth becomes more evident than when we’re facing difficult situations.
And my friend wants to be sure that she honors God in not just what she says but also in what she does. She wants her love for God and for others to be evident in all she says and does.
Here’s what my friend knows- when we’re in the thick of things and challenges are coming our way, we get to choose how we react. We get to decide if our love for God and others is evident in our response. We get to determine if God gets the glory.
But here’s the thing… my friend DOES want to honor God with her response, but the reason she wants to do that is because she loves Jesus. She doesn’t want to do the right thing to earn some heavenly bonus points or to earn God’s favor. She knows she is already favored and loved by God beyond measure. That is what is motivating her desire to respond to a very difficult situation in a God honoring way.
Our actions do speak louder than our words, and it is true that people pay attention to our actions even more than our words. But here’s the deeper truth- our actions show what’s in our heart.
Luke 6:44-45 NLT
“A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
The thing that impressed me most about my sweet friend was that her desire to honor God showed her heart. She is anchored in the truth of God’s love for her and her love for God runs deep. Her choice to respond in a good way to a very hard situation wasn’t to impress people or even to witness to them (although I am sure it will do both). Her choice to respond well flowed out of her desire to show her love for the One who first loved her and gave himself for her. It showed her love for God and her love for what he loves.
1 John 4:19-21 NIV “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”
May our actions reflect our heart. Even in challenges, may our love for God and for people be the motivating force behind all that we say or do. If our actions speak louder than our words, than may our lives loudly proclaim our love for God and others.
Prayer
Father God, thank you for your love for us. Thank you for your love for all people. God, let our actions reflect our heart. Let our lives loudly proclaim our love for God and others. You have filled us with the truth of your love. Let that love overflow out of us and cause us to be people who live and love like you. Amen.
Scripture Meditation
Luke 6:44-45 NLT
“A tree is identified by its fruit. Figs are never gathered from thornbushes, and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes. A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”
Journal Reflection
What could it look like to pause before you react to difficult situations and choose to respond in a way that shows your love for God and people? What are some strategies you might employ to do this?
Practice
This week’s practice is a simple scripture memory challenge. Work on memorizing 1John 4:19-21 so that when difficult situations come, you can bring it to mind to remember that your response to people comes from an overflow of your love for God.
1 John 4:19-21 NIV “We love because he first loved us. Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”