Earlier this week I was reading the story about Jesus healing the ten lepers. The story where all were healed but only one came back to thank Him AND to worship Him… We can learn so much from that one leper, not just about being thankful but about where our hearts should be centered.
His heart was centered on Jesus – on who Jesus was – and on what Jesus had done. The lesson we learn should learn is that when we are focused on what Jesus is doing, we will be absorbed into knowing who He is, and when we are absorbed into knowing who He is – we will become like Him! It is this complete absorption into “worshipping” Him that leads us into having a heart centered on Him and a heart like His.
But what does having a heart like Jesus’ or a heart centered on Him look like?
In my religious tradition we define this as holiness, sanctification, christian perfection and perfect love. These are terms that have long caused confusion for clergy AND non-clergy alike, mainly due in large part to the difficulty of defining and applying this concept to everyday life.
But we have to…So let’s try…
In order to have a heart centered on God it follows that one must be set apart for God. John Wesley understood the Christian to be a holy person set-aside for God as shown in verses such as Exodus 19:10 and 1 Peter 2:9. To be set apart for God is to be made holy!
But what does “being set apart” look like? If we know that love is the center of Wesley’s understanding, then this love must be the true test of holiness. Out of love we are to emulate Christ. Out of love we are set apart. Out of love we are holy.
Love is what caused the healed leper that returned to Jesus. Love is what caused him to see who Jesus was. Both Jesus’ love for him and the leper’s love for Jesus fueled their actions. Love is what should fuel our actions.
We are told that Jesus’ wept two times in the New Testament – once when his friend Lazarus had died and the other when He was looking over Jerusalem and was broken because the people just didn’t get who He was. It was His passion, His compassion, His brokenness, His love that caused Jesus to weep at these times. It showed where Jesus’ heart was – it showed His heart was broken.
So perhaps, we should ask ourselves, “Who do I weep for?” I bet the healed leper was weeping when He saw what had happened and realized who Jesus was…
So let me end with this thought…
It is only after we are broken and weeping for a deeper knowledge of Christ, for our families, our neighbors, our community, and our churches, that we develop a heart centered on God and therefore become “set apart” for God.
Where is your heart centered today?
Until next time…
Pastor Barry
Pastor Barry's Blog 