“I run in the path of your commands, because you have set my heart free.” Psalm 119
“Have you ever put those two things together—freedom of heart and the passionate pursuit of God’s commands? The two go hand in hand. Genuine holiness restores human beings; restored human beings possess genuine holiness.”-Eldredge
After I read the book “The Utter Relief of Holiness” by John Eldredge, I felt hopeful.
Hopeful, because I felt relieved that holiness was attainable, not because of what I’ve done, but because of what Christ did for me.
It’s quite a relief to know my heart is forgiven, restored and made new, and this new found joy makes me want to obey, or seek holiness, or live in holiness, as David says, “run in the paths of your commands.”
I got a call from a friend the other day, and he was excited to tell me about some long quiet times he was having with God. I could hear it in his voice that he was in the Spirit. He had been walking deeply with God and felt a closeness with his creator and I can only imagine, the last thing on his mind was disobedience.
Now, I believe there isn’t a formula to holiness, or obedience. It’s quite simple really. Just walk with God.
A recent post I made talked about feeding the dog of the spirit. If you feed the dog of the spirit, it will win the fight.
My friend was feeding the holy spirit, and he was winning the fight.
I am sometimes reminded of this when I’m attending a small group, Bible study or even church. When I’m fellowshipping or worshiping our Lord, the last thing on my mind is to feed the flesh and sin.
So, yes, even though there isn’t necessarily a formula to battle against our flesh, I do believe the more we make time to abide in the vine of the spirit, we will walk more deeply in holiness.
The other issue I think about is freedom our hearts receive as we are forgiven, restored and made new.
Just as Scrooge from the movie a Christmas Carol woke up on Christmas morning a new man, and as giddy as a young schoolboy, I believe we can experience this same kind of freedom and daily joy.
When we quiet ourselves and seek God and the forgiveness and restoration our hearts desperately need, we desire to run in the path of Gods commands!
Just writing this and thinking about these things makes my heart come alive and I want to be closer to God because of it.
I feel alive, free and born again!
So, think about the freedom your heart has as you live this life in Christ. Do everything you can to keep that eternal perspective and joy you feel as you embrace Gods holiness this week.
Matt