Love from the Center // Romans 12:9

“Love from the center of who you are.…” I like that idea. What is the center, though? It’s the heart. We see in the biblical languages that the heart is the center of a person and is driven by our inclination to the influence of sin or faith. Yesterday’s verse from Hebrews 4:12 showed us that God’s Word is able to help us discern at the indistinguishable level where our loyalty to God can give way to the seduction of the flesh. If we are going to love from the center of who we are, we must pay special attention to the second part of today’s verse: “Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good.” This is precisely why we get the wisdom from Proverbs 4:23, “Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that’s where life starts” (Proverbs 4:23). If we are going to run for our lives from evil so we can hold on to good, we must be vigilant with the heart lest we exchange loyalty for licentiousness. Where are you most vulnerable right now? What do you need to do to keep loyal to God and God’s will? Who can support you and hold you accountable? When can you make the time to start? We must love from the center of who we are — the heart — guarding it vigilantly so we start and stay on God’s way.