Who Has Stolen Your Heart?

I was in a conversation recently with a man who matter-of-factly proclaimed, "My intention is to steal your heart." As I reflected on his intent toward me, I couldn't help but think how his words perfectly describe God's intent for humanity. Neither of them wants to hold hostage the heart of the person they are pursuing; rather, they intend to woo and woo until the object of their affection willingly accepts their advances and pledges allegiance to the suitor.

In the natural we've probably all experienced this to some degree. A man typically decides he wants to steal a woman's heart and he does everything he knows to do in order to make her aware of his growing desire for her. His efforts might include phone calls, dinner dates, flowers, and anything else he thinks will endear him to her. For her part, a woman might show her heart is being knitted to his by doing something special for him. Her reactions to his advances are the barometer he uses to gauge the success of his previous efforts. If she is continually unresponsive, he will likely give up and seek out the next heart to steal.

In the spiritual it works in a similar manner. Romans 5:8 declares, "But God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." God didn't wait for our permission to demonstrate His love; He made and makes (notice the present tense of the first half of the verse) His intention to take our heart captive known before we ever had/have any idea of what He was/is up to. However, unrequited love is not God's desire. God loves us and He also desires to be loved by us. As proof, Jesus sent God the Holy Spirit into the earth to woo and draw us to the Father. God's desire is that we will freely give our heart to Him in response to His demonstration of love for us over 2000 years ago. And despite our rejections, He never stops pursuing.

Who has stolen your heart? Has a man/woman stolen it? If so, that's OK. God created mankind to be in loving relationships with one another and He is glorified when we are. But unless we are captivated by God and have given our heart to Him, no earthly relationship will be as rich and satisfying as it could be. When we love God because we are loved by God, we can learn to properly love others. No one should be allowed to steal your heart unless God has "stolen" it first.

Teacher, which commandment in the law is greatest? Jesus said to him, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. The second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the law and prophets depend on these two commandments. (Matthew 22:36-40)