Matters of the heart

Read Ephesians 5:18-20

18 Don’t be drunk with wine,because that will ruin your life. Instead,be filled with the Holy Spirit,19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves,and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NLT)

We can call them church services or gospel-shaped gatherings or worship meetings. Whatever we call them,the times we meet together to praise God and learn from him and encourage one another are to be special times. How sad,then,if they become routine.

Perhaps it can be because we are afraid to move from the objective to the subjective. We are content to sing or say orthodox truths,to learn correct information. All this necessary objectivity doesn’t engage us at a deeper level than the intellect. We have ticked the boxes,we have resisted error and heard truth. But we have not become vulnerable children,not let our hearts be stirred. Emotions are kept in check.

Of course we avoid emotionalism,where our meeting together is little more than a bit of psychological boosterism. But there is a time to become vulnerable children. A time to weep and a time to laugh. A time to share our hearts with our God and with others. A time to blend our ‘order and decency’ with passion and occasional messiness.

Our meetings are,after all,matters not just of the head but of the heart.

Blessings
David Reay