Thy Kingdom Come

Late last evening I found myself marveling at the word “heart” which we find several places in the Scriptures. My human flesh heart pumps blood which supplies my cells with oxygen. It struck me that my heart consists of two chambers which when the heart contracts or expands work as one unit. It is not so that one chamber suddenly begins to operate on its own as if it is not a part of the heart. While my thoughts were lingering on this physical fact it seemed not far fetched to me to assume that my flesh heart is a parable of what the Bible calls the heart. In other words the “heart” is the spirit/Spirit union – “two chambers” working as one.

I also thought it interesting that what comes into the heart goes out from the heart, or, perhaps: issues from the heart (Proverbs 4:23). So, when Jesus speaks about oneness or we speak about union our physical heart is an outer representation of a spiritual fact. It also seems pretty clear to me that when Jeremiah prophetically speaks about that God will give us a new heart it must mean that the chamber that is evil is circumcised and removed and replaced by a new chamber, that is, God’s Spirit. All this again points to that we humans have no nature of our own. A thought some of you are well familiar with.

This “what comes into the heart goes out from the heart” is Jesus’ main theme while discussing with the Pharisees as recounted in John 8. “You manifest and do the desires of your father” Jesus bluntly told them. “I, however, manifest and do the desires of my Father.” The heart beats with one rhythm. The heart’s other “chamber” decides which rhythm. Notice that Jesus said: “I only do what I see my Father is doing.” Not: “My Father is doing whatever He sees me doing.”

Next, my thoughts were occupied with what happened in Jericho when the walls came tumbling down. God said that He had given the Israelites the city, but what was done in His sight saw its manifestation in the temporal by faith. Everything is done in His sight, but what is done in heaven is only manifested on earth by faith. In heaven all have a new heart, but in the temporal not all have a new heart unless they receive it by faith. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” I am thinking right now based on what I have just penned down that this in many ways explains the uses of the word “all” in some verses in the NT, but in other verses there is a dividing line between those who are “in” and those who are “outside”. Both are true.

There is one thing in particular the Spirit has been pressing on me the last couple of weeks: “You must learn to have two thoughts in your head at the same time.” He Himself fulfills this “must” in me.  So, this is not another subtle law. Why is this so important? Firstly, because the Bible isn’t a book of doctrines. Whatever written must become flesh in us, that is, go from outer knowledge to inner knowing. Secondly, it will keep us from losing balance. I am not very fond of the word “balance”, but in the context of “both are true” it is crucial.