The Heart's True Compass

My dear friends, have you ever paused to consider the very nature of true obedience? Is it merely outward compliance, a reluctant nod to the divine command? Ah, there is a gulf, a vast chasm, between doing what God says and loving what God loves!

Cast your mind back, I pray you, to the ancient plains of Moab. There stood Balaam, a man with genuine spiritual gifts, a prophet who truly heard the Lord's voice. Yet, what drove him? Not love for God, but the glittering coin of avarice! King Balak hired him to curse Israel, but God, in His absolute sovereignty, clamped shut Balaam’s self-serving lips, compelling him to speak only blessings. Even a dumb donkey had more sense than Balaam’s covetous heart, rebuking him! God’s purposes, beloved, cannot be thwarted, even when He must use an unwilling instrument. But Balaam’s tragic end, betraying Israel for gain, proves this: outward obedience without a regenerated heart leads only to ruin.

Now turn your gaze to that hallowed Upper Room, on the eve of Calvary’s horror. Our Blessed Master, Jesus, the Lord of Glory, stooped to wash dusty feet – a servant’s task! And against this backdrop of boundless humility, He gave a New Commandment: "Love one another, *just as I have loved you*." Mark this well! This was no mere echoing of old law, but a new standard, a Christ-referential love, costly, sacrificial, *agape* love. And note this, too: it was only *after* Judas, the embodiment of self-interest and betrayal, departed into the darkness, that this command was fully given. The spirit of self-seeking had to flee for the heart of true love to emerge!

So, what then, dear brethren, does this mean for us? God can indeed use the unwilling, but He *desires* willing hearts! He calls us not to mere external obedience, but to a joyful overflow of a heart transformed by His Spirit, a stony heart exchanged for one of flesh. Let us not just speak God’s truth, like Balaam, but embody His love. For truth without love becomes a sterile decree, and love without truth lacks all substance. No, let us “speak the truth in love,” allowing the authenticity of our Christ-infused hearts to validate every word we utter. May our lives be a living testimony to this glorious, compelling love!

(Source: A modern reflection adopted from the style of Charles Spurgeon)