A Child-Life Vitality (1 John 3:10)

“By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.” (1 John 3:10)

The heart of man is formed with two halves: love of God and love of neighbor. From these, life flows into our lives with all the joy and fullness belonging to the children of God. O, the heart of a child! They run without wearying, play without tiring. In their very joy, they impart life to others. The heart filled with the love of God imparts life to others through its love of neighbor. When our heart lives and beats as a child of God, God satisfies us with good so that our youth is renewed like the eagles. Down to old age, we squirm with eager anticipation of rising from our rest to enjoy a new abundance of life on heaven’s shore. Death itself cannot cease our overflowing life.

But when these two halves are blocked, when the love of God and love of neighbor is replaced with the love of self, the heart is one of stone. Stones have no life, no joy, and none of the youthful bliss belonging to a heart tender toward God. Instead of life, they impart death and judgment, just like their father - the devil. Death comes to them as a continuation of the state they’ve already entered, of a sorrow they have already known too well. O, the grief laden in those with stony hearts! How watchful must we be of our own? Is your heart one of stone? Seek the Lord Jesus, for he can make the very stones cry out. When life seems beyond hope, he replaces hearts of stone with hearts of flesh that we may be children of God.