The Unguarded Heart of Love

“When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.” John 13:21

“Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me.” Ps 41:9

This is such a beautiful passage of Jesus’s tenderness and love. Jesus knew what Judas was going to do, yet he still loved him and mourned for him. God is truly the most tender-hearted being in the universe, and we truly need a revelation of it! This story also is yet another illustration of God’s love, and the way that love allows itself to be hurt, rejected, and betrayed.

Our human love seeks to protect from pain so that we are fearful and withholding, but God’s love is not like our love. We often misinterpret the idea of how to guard our hearts thinking that it means not letting people hurt us, but love risks. Love is open to being hurt. How can we lay down our lives as Christ did for us when we refuse to allow ourselves to be hurt?

For after giving Judas the sop (which he took with the full knowledge of what it meant), Jesus said, “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:34

(I think this is also a hint to use when we discern spirits! Not by power, gifts, good teaching, or fulfilled prophetic words etc, but by love from the heart.)

The thing that we must guard against is that which is not love, for when we take up a hurt or offense, we harden our hearts. The rocks, and weeds, and hard ground cannot receive the seed of God’s word, and therefore will not bear fruit! The Holy Spirit is the oil that softens our hard hearts and writes God’s love into the deepest places of our mind, soul, and spirit. To guard the heart is to guard against judgment, offense, and forgiveness that blocks the indwelling love of God from flowing in and through our hearts.

Jesus rarely preached against behaviors but instead focused on loving our enemies, not judging, and forgiving others. Jesus was keeping his eye on the heart from which all life springs. I like to substitute the word love for heart, so it reads, “Above all else, guard your love.” Guard what you desire, guard what you love, and guard your heart FOR love.

Here is a spiritual picture of a heart in full bloom:

“How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse? How much better is thy love than wine! And the smell of thine ointments than all spices! Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honeycomb; honey and mil are under thy tongue; and the smell of thy garments is like the smell of Lebanon. A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard…” Song of Solomon 4:10-13

What a lovely picture of love! Honey and milk under the tongue is such a contrast to the venom of asps and forked, sharp tongues of the wicked. The lover of others speaks sweet, nourishing words-a word in season to strengthen the weary, and the heart is full of beautiful things. The Lord once showed me that the heart of man is like a treasure chest in which He places gems, pearls, and beautiful treasures of His love, and the enemy comes to steal them away by sowing anger, offense, and accusation.

“Guard your heart with all diligence, for out of it are all the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23

A hard heart cannot grow beautiful things. It is dead and lifeless and bears no fruit. On the other hand, the heart of love that we see in Christ is open and willing to risk being hurt. He could do that because he was fed by an inner well of the Spirit-His love relationship with the Father that empowered, filled, and satiated him so that he could sit at dinner with his friend and grieve that he was about to betray him.

Jesus was truly pained and troubled, and he allowed himself to openly express it.

Oh the depths of the beauty of His love for us. May the Holy Spirit continue to open our eyes and soften our hearts so that we will be filled to overflowing with the fullness of God!

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