Broken is Better

I was reminded recently of the refrain of the hit by the British band Yes that goes, "Owner of a lonely heart, (much better than an) owner of a broken heart."  The song is certainly catchy, but I don't know I ever bothered to consider if this assertion is true when I sang along.  Beauty and often truth these days is determined by personal perspective, but looking at this through a biblical lens provides insight and clarity to crushed feelings we all experience in this life.

God created man needy and for relationship with Him and other people.  Feelings of loneliness can plague people who know and trust God as well as those who enjoy meaningful relationships.  Loneliness can be exacerbated by unhealthy self-focus.  The feelings of being alone (and varying degrees of isolation) can be fleeting or chronic depending on more factors than I can suggest.  The point I feel inclined to consider is no heart created by the living God needs to settle for perpetual loneliness when God has revealed Himself, spoken to us, and abides in us.  A prisoner in solitary confinement can be enraptured in communion and fellowship with God because of the intimate relationship God has offered all who trust Him.  A constant in the life of human beings is potential for rapid changes of feelings and mood like cities that can experience all seasons in a day:  the bright happiness and new growth of spring, fierce thunderclaps of summer with oppressive humidity from which is there is no escape, autumn's chill with cutting wind that bends trees which groan, and the depressing freeze and solitary deadness of winter.

In spite of frightful weather, even in winter the warmth and brightness of a burning hearth can be enjoyed for those who gather wood and stoke the flames.  This is where the broken heart comes in.  Like the song implies, no one wants their heart to be broken.  It is a sorrowful, painful, and depressing prospect.  God is able to heal and restore broken hearts presented humbly to Him and these desperate, hopeless feelings can be the very thing which causes us to seek God at all.  A broken heart makes us feel weak, helpless, and hopeless, but this is the arena where God is uniquely poised to joyfully work His wonders.  David wrote in Psalm 51:15-17, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise. ¹⁶ For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart--these, O God, You will not despise."  As long as we remain under the illusion we are strong and sufficient to handle the griefs and difficulties of life we will not seek wholeness only God can bring.

In a synagogue in Nazareth Jesus Christ opened the scroll of Isaiah.  Luke 4:18 records some of the words Jesus read to His hearers, words He fulfilled that day in their presence:  "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..."  Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit and sent to preach the Gospel, heal the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, recover sight of the blind, and set free the oppressed.  After Jesus miraculously gave sight to a man born blind, Pharisees asked him, "Are we also blind?"  John 9:41 reads, "Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, 'We see.' Therefore your sin remains."  Jesus was able to open the eyes of a man born blind and was also able to forgive sins.  Since these skeptics did not believe in Christ and self-righteously justified themselves as without need to repent their sin remained.  IF they would admit their blindness moved by faith in Jesus, if they would admit their sin and need for forgiveness, Jesus would give them sight and set them free from the oppression of sin.  But since they would not admit their need they remained blind and broken.  The same principle applies with broken hearts:  God will not heal hearts people refuse to admit are broken.

It is good to own our hearts are broken and present ourselves to Jesus Christ as our Healer and Saviour.  His mighty deeds culminating in His resurrection proves He accomplished what God sent Him to do:  He preached the Gospel, opened the eyes of the blind, and healed broken hearts.  A broken heart healed and made new by the grace of God through faith in Jesus need never be lonely, for Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and help us.  Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and all are blessed who seek and look to Him as LORD.  Having been purchased at great cost to God, He becomes our Owner who gives us a new heart and mind.  Feelings come and go, but those who abide in Christ will find themselves miraculously sustained.  Better to have a broken heart and come to Jesus and be healed than to resign to loneliness without hope.  For this reason the broken heart, strange as it may seem, is better.

Affections like Ivy

In the waiting room of a local doctor's office there is a small cabinet filled with books supplied by a local book club.  A sign encourages people to take, exchange, or donate books so others can read and enjoy them.  As I was waiting a classic book I never read caught my eye:  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.  I flipped to the beginning of the story and was greeted by a gem of a simile on the first page:  "His friends were those of his own blood, or those whom he had known the longest; his affections, like ivy, were the growth of time, they implied no aptness in the object." (Stevenson, Robert Louis, and Jenni Calder. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: and Other Stories. Penguin Books, 1979, page 29.)

Comparing the affections of Mr. Utterson to the growth of ivy provides great insight into the man.  Ivy does not discriminate:  it will climb on a brick wall, a fence, or up the trunk of great trees to soak up as much sunshine as possible.  Though the pace of growth differs on the variety, over time vines can choke out other plants.  The point the author made is the lawyer Utterson grew to appreciate the company of many sorts of people over time.  The proximity of a person and the amount of time they spent together provoked a loyalty towards them regardless if their influence was beneficial or a detriment.  His affections grew like ivy and covered their cracks.

As followers of Jesus Christ we are called to love one another.  It is not the passage of time which is to order our affections but the love of God freely given to us by grace.  1 Peter 4:8 exhorts believers, "And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."  If we say we love God, we ought to love one another.  At the same time we must take to heart 1 Corinthians 15:33 that warns, "Do not be deceived: "Evil company corrupts good habits."  There may be people we have known all our lives or are family relations who have no desire to please God.  Even as Utterson's affections did not depend on the "aptness in the object," we are to love those who seem unworthy.  Jesus taught in Matthew 5:43-45, "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust."

Over time may our godly affections grow beyond human desire or longing that is often plagued with selfishness and insecurity.  The love God calls us to walk in and express is transcends natural affections of a mother for her child or a husband for his spouse:  it is selfless, giving, and sacrificial.  God's love is far more durable and resilient than the heartiest ivy, springing back to life when hacked away even by violent hatred.  Jesus prayed with nails in hands and feet, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do."  The life of Jesus Christ provides the foundation and structure of what love looks like, and the fruit of the Spirit is love.  May we be fruitful to keep loving like Him!

Teachable and Blessing

Consideration of the immediate context is important in Bible study as well as acknowledging what other Bible passages say on the same subject.  It is possible to exaggerate an interpretation or application of scripture when different verses are not weighed against one another.  Undue emphasis on a particular point has ironically led to error and misrepresentation of the facts by students of the Word.  While none of us (and me especially!) claim to understand all things, as we humbly seek the LORD in the study of His Word we remain on guard against falling into this trap.

An example of this can be shown in the words of Jesus in Matthew 21:22:  "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive."  If we were to camp on this verse alone without considering other scriptures it seems Christians have the power in prayer to obtain whatever we want.  If we believe we will receive what we ask for, we will receive--after all, Jesus Himself gave us this promise!  When we don't immediately receive our requests it is obviously (based on the unfailing Word of God) because we have not sufficiently believed a mountain can be removed into the sea.  I am jesting but the results of this misguided approach to scripture interpretation is not funny at all.  This scripture ought to be weighed and compared against other times Jesus prayed or other scriptures which teach on the subject.

Because of the breadth of the subject of prayer I will merely point out a few passages as examples.  There are passages which emphasise our need to pray and continue praying, like the present continuous tenses of the Greek verbs used in Matthew 7:7:  "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."  Instead of viewing prayer as a means to our ends, we pray to our Father in heaven in submission to His will.  Jesus did not make demands of the Father based on His "authority" but prayed in the Garden, "Not my will but yours be done."  Also it is written in 1 John 5:14-15:  "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him."  Our confidence is not in our prayers but in the God who has revealed His will and enables us to perform it.  James tells us it is possible not to receive what we seek because we have prayed with selfish motives as James 4:3:  "You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures."  You get the picture.  These verses shed additional light on the subject of the prayer and provide a balanced perspective.  When we magnify one verse beyond the others it is like focusing the light of the sun through a glass which blinds us to the rest.

How blessed are those who read the scriptures with a teachable spirit, willing to receive the truth of one scripture which seems to contrast our established (but limited) theology.  And it is all well and good to form theology concerning prayer, but far better it is to put our understanding of Bible teachings into our daily practice.  It would be a great tragedy to hold degrees in theology yet spend little time or accomplish very little when we enter into the presence of God through prayer.  Hebrews 4:16 exhorts us, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."  A young child with faith in God can demonstrate mastery in this arena even the learned cannot know or imagine.

Bearing Much Fruit

In contrasting the works of the flesh to the fruit of the Spirit, there are variations of an illustration I heard in a sermon yesterday I have also heard by others over the years.  It goes something like this:  "You don't walk by an apple tree and hear it straining to pop out apples by effort.  The fruit of the Spirit is something produced by the presence of the Holy Spirit within you."  I can understand why this analogy is provided to explain how we are enabled to be spiritually fruitful because the Holy Spirit indwells and enables us to do so.  But this example can be potentially misleading because it is narrowly focused on a complex, multi-faceted relationship believers share with God.  What it can suggest is, "Trees bear fruit naturally, and Christians produce fruit supernaturally without any effort or a struggle at all.  It will just happen."  And this is plain wrong.

In the scripture believers are compared to trees and branches of the Vine who is Christ, but we are not trees comprised of roots, bark, wood, and leaves.  There are critical differences between a tree planted by rivers of water and a human being who lives in a body of flesh with a sin nature,  has a mind and will of his own, and desires to follow Jesus faithfully.  It is true apple trees do not groan to expend effort as flowers bud in season, nor when the small apples develop into delicious, edible fruit we enjoy.  Trees do groan and creak under the weight of their heavy boughs in strong wind and rain, however, and sometimes limbs break.  I have never heard the analogy carried this far.  It is one thing to bear fruit, and another thing to carry it.

Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit in contrast to the sinful works of the flesh in Galatians 5:22-23:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  Apart from this divinely produced fruit, there are at least two other ways people are connected with fruit in scripture:  the fruit of the lips, and the fruit of the womb.  There is personal sacrifice connected with this fruitfulness.  Hebrews 13:15-16 says, "Therefore by Him [Jesus] let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. ¹⁶ But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."  It is wise to think before we speak, to be considerate and edify others with gracious words.  This does not happen automatically but requires intentional effort to these ends.  It may be at times due to the work of the Holy Spirit within us we are kind and gentle without realising it because God is faithful to sanctify us.  But I expect there are far more times when we must intentionally respond to conviction with repentance, take wicked thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ, hold our tongues, or make an effort thank and praise God even when it hurts.

When it comes to the fruit of the womb the entire process is filled with intention:  conceiving, carrying, bearing, and caring for a baby is filled with personal sacrifices and effort.  Plum trees produce plums, and human beings bear human babies that require constant care.  Before Christ we were dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually impotent to produce anything pleasing to God.  We were like barren Sarah, Rebekah, Hannah, or Elizabeth, incapable to conceive spiritual fruit which can only come from God.  God graciously intervened in the lives of these women and caused them to fall pregnant by natural means and give birth to sons.  It was God's work, yet they were personally involved in dealing with carrying a baby (or two!), enduring a painful natural labour, and then rising at all hours to feed, change, and care for their newborns.  This to me is a much better representation of the spiritual fruitfulness which comes from God and our subservient role to Him.  The Holy Spirit causes us to be fruitful and by God's grace we are enabled to cooperate in the process.

I do not believe for a moment as Jesus walked on this earth the fruit of the Spirit was produced in His life without effort.  Before He demonstrated love to all mankind by dying on the cross for our sins, He agonised in prayer and sweat blood.  He was not an immovable oak but the Son of God clothed in sweating human flesh with feelings, thoughts, and temptations.  Paul did not assure the Galatians this fruit would just happen because they were born again but said in Galatians 5:22-26:  "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. ²⁴ And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another."  The fruit of the Spirit to be evident in a life which has been crucified with Christ.  Forget straining to pop out apples:  nothing less than crucifixion is required!  Jesus said if anyone wants to follow Him, we must deny ourselves and take up our cross daily.  Following Jesus isn't something we only choose to do once and then are supernaturally carried on a litter.  Walking means effort, decisions, and endurance.

Jesus was crucified on Calvary and died so we might live and He through us (Galatians 2:20).  See the exhortations to action here:  walk in the Spirit, do not become conceited, cease provoking or envying one another.  There are things we are called to labour to do and sinful things we intentionally cease doing.  No effort of the flesh can enable us to produce the fruit of the Spirit, yet having been born again by the indwelling Holy Spirit we labour, putting our hands to the plough alongside Jesus Christ our Saviour without looking back.  Jesus said to His disciples in John 15:4-5, "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ⁵ I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing."