How to Warm Up a Cold Heart - The Crosswalk Devotional - February 17

How to Warm Up a Cold Heart
By Lynette Kittle

“By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” - John 13:35

What defines your life? How do others see you? What sets you apart in the world? How would others describe your witness in the world? Do those around you know you’re a Christian? Sadly many Christians carry their Salvation in their heart, holding it silently within, not saying or doing anything to reveal God’s love to others. Content on loving God themselves, they find it difficult to love those around them.

Consequently, although many believe they deeply love God, their love for others has grown cold. But maybe our love for God can be measured by our love for others? If less than warm and loving to those around us, do we truly love God?

1 John 4:20 explains how “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”

Loving others is not optional when it comes to loving God. Rather, it’s the proof of whether or not we truly love Him.

Watch Out! It’s Chilly Out There
Matthew 24:12 addresses how increasing wickedness in the world will turn hearts cold toward God. It also turns hearts cold towards each other. “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” So can we love God deeply and not love each other? And is it even possible to love others in the chilly setting of our world today? Yet if we find we don’t love others, maybe we really don’t love God like we think we do. maybe our lack of love for each other reveals a heart not fully committed to Him?

1 John 4:21 reminds us, “And He has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.”

Indicators of a Chilly Heart
A lack of love towards others is a key indicator of a heart that has or is in the process of growing cold. In fact, it’s a blaring red alarm that we’re in danger of our hearts growing cold toward God, too.

1 John 4:16 explains how our love for others reflects whether or not we truly love God. “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

As well, 1 John 4:8 explains how a lack of love for one another goes even deeper. It may mean we really do not love God. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” From what Scripture teaches us, God and love cannot be separated. Loving God means we love one another. It’s not optional but rather evidence of whether or not we know God.

Warming Up
If we find our hearts have grown cold toward one another, what is the answer to warming up our love for others? 2 Thessalonians 1:3 describes how when our faith grows more and more, then the love we have for one another increases. God’s Word Translation translates 1 Peter 1:22 as, “Love each other with a warm love that comes from the heart. After all, you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth. As a result you have a sincere love for each other.”

Putting God’s Word into our hearts and minds, along with applying it to our lives, leads to the heating up of a cold heart. Living and walking in God’s truth acts like exercising works to warm up our physical bodies. The truth of His Word warms our hearts and removes the chilliness that has taken up residence within us.

Intersecting Faith and Life: Have you taken your heart temperature lately? If so, have you found your heart warm toward others? If not, ask God to help you to turn to His Word to study and apply to your life, for the purpose of warming your heart toward others and toward Him.

Further Reading:
Why Are We Called to Love One Another?

Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.