Strong Affections, Strong Afflictions

From August 15, 2015

“It is strong affection that makes strong affliction,” Puritan John Flavel writes in his work “The Mystery of Providence.”

Flavel was writing of our inordinate affections for this world and everything in it that beguiles us. Our “strong affection” for life here on earth pulls us in half sometimes, doesn’t it? We want to follow God and love him passionately, but our hearts might reach, even yearn, toward something less worthy…like a dream of that perfect job, home, or spouse. Not that these dreams can’t be godly too, but they can never, shouldnever, replace God himself in the center of our hearts.

It is this strong affection for things other than God himself that makes the pain of not getting our wants all the greater. We set ourselves up for compounded disappointment and affliction when our hearts have sewn themselves to things that are passing away. We’ve all thought it, “If I could just stop wanting ___________, this wouldn’t be so painful!” We’re not dummies. We know our desires have the capacity to twist and turn us, for the good or the bad. But as humans, we can’t stop wanting__________on our own. We need help.  We need weaning from the world.

That hole in our hearts that yearns for filling doesn’t seem so big at the start of our quest. We think, “I just need a little fix. Everyone else has this. Why shouldn’t I?” But instead of us controlling the quest, it turns the tables on us. The quest for (fill in your own blank) begins to consume us. Our thoughts, our time, our money. And worst of all, our hearts. The hole that seemed so normal and small at first has now swallowed us. And the pain of not having it grows more unbearable.

It’s going to take someone so much stronger than us to break us free from these inordinate desires. Thankfully, He exists, and He is ever living to intervene into this battle for our hearts, and He is Jesus.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.” Hebrews 12:1 NLT

“Strip off every weight that slows us down.”  I LOVE THAT!!  I have weights that are slowing me down in my love-marathon for God.  Do you?  What are they?  Have you evaluated them lately or asked for input from someone who knows and loves you well?  How will you go about getting rid of those weights?  It is worth our time and effort to consider these things.  Kind of like doing inventory on our hearts.  Assessing where we are at in our love for God and how we plan to keep growing might be THE most important thing we do, other than actually walking out our love for Him.

"Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.” Hebrews 12:12 ESV

The writer of Hebrews is helping us.  Healing, correct alignment for our souls, is the goal.  The three things we are encouraged to do is to 1) lift our drooping hands (reach out to God, realize it’s not OUR strength we need)  2) strengthen our weak knees (get back into the Word if we’re not already, return to the source of our strength, namely God, through prayer and Scripture reading) and finally 3) make straight paths for our feet (plan our course of action, rid our life of habits and patterns that get us off track with God, surround ourselves with truth, godly friends, godly ways to spend our time).

Friends, I am going to take my own advice today and evaluate my walk with God.  It may be the most important thing I’ll do today.