Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
Psalms 51
The Psalms is a great place to go and find words that sound like the cry of our hearts in our anxious moments; in pain, in sickness, in the dark moments of depression, to moments of joy and bliss in the spirit; free. Psalms are deep words that inspire images full of shame to someone seeking protection; giving praise to the Righteous One. But how often do we remember what it took to get past the shame, guilt, and anxiety to come to repentance and gain a free heart?
In the book of John chapter 6 verse 44 Jesus Christ the Righteous One, reminds his disciples “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them”. Paul explains this a little in Hebrews chapter 4 verse 7 saying, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts”. A reminder that it is God who calls us to Jesus and if we believe in Jesus, we will be saved. We believe in Jesus and are saved whatever good works we do, we do because we are saved. We must believe in Jesus. As we learn about the Lord by studying the Bible, we gain freedom by faith when we repent and turn to God by accepting the truth. We can then worship in truth and in spirit. We can forgive others who hurt us, and submit our lives to Jesus; in these things is true freedom. Not freedom by the might of our flesh, but the freedom given to us in the Spirit of Jesus Christ. The free heart then is gained by our faith in Jesus.
Those of us who have tried our hand at freedom, in our own strength, learn a hard lesson Paul speaks of in his letter in Ephesians 6 verse 12; “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms”; spiritual authorities that attempt to keep us from living with our hearts free. By trusting in our own might, wisdom, and strength (our flesh) instead of the Lord we can easily be misled into committing perverse acts, even in the name of God. So no matter your ways or behaviors, trust in Jesus with all your heart instead of your understanding, which will make sense to those who come to believe in Jesus.
I have to remind myself each day that I am no better than anyone else. I can be led to doing or saying things I should not, if I trust what I know rather than Jesus. The freedom I have been given in Jesus, allows me to see that Jesus Christ is the key to living well. Even if I believe I’m making the right decision, I’m trusting Jesus because I know He will straighten the way and guide me; I keep my heart free by trusting what He’s doing, and go on because my faith is in the believing word of God. The right decision may not be the decision that makes me look strong or smart. But the way the Lord works out the details of what I’m doing allows me to have a heart free of too much worry, even if it takes me a couple of days to understand what happened. Am I always right? No. Which is why I know I need Jesus.
Real freedom is interesting; while we believe we should be able to say and do what we want to at any time we want to – freedom shows me I should submit to Jesus (pray) and have faith in my doings, because it is the Lord who directs my path. Knowing that God redeemed me and set me free by the acts of Jesus on the cross relieves me of having to fight for freedom. Instead of being timid or uncertain (anxious) about doing anything, I have the “Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind”, that Paul told Timothy about in 2nd Timothy 1:7 because Jesus, the truth set me free – Jesus’ love set me free in a way that allows me to grasp the word of God by faith, and so, lies fall flat in the face of the truth. So, I have a free heart because my conscience is clear.
Today I know that to fear the Lord is wisdom and to shun evil is the best understanding, according to Job chapter 28:28 – so freedom lived in the way of the Lord is better than always doing what I want to do.
Now a free heart, a truly free heart seeks love; in order to find love. Lives according to love; not smooches and romance, love that we can’t fall out of. Love that uplifts, seeks good, and convicts to righteousness in Christ. Love that allows the heart to run free in a way that our freedom will not rob someone else of freedom. Love that forgives, love that blesses, love that walks down the street boundless. That to me is a free heart. What about you, what’s your version of the free heart?