The Heart of the Matter: Why Spirituality Begins Within

Jesus said, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart… For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Luke 6:45). In other words, the centre of the Christian life isn’t the mind or behaviour, but the heart—what we love.

This thread runs deep through Christian theology. Paul prays that “Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Eph. 3:17). Calvin called the heart an "idol factory." Augustine famously confessed, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” More recently, Tim Keller reminds us that beneath every behaviour is a longing—for meaning, for love, for control—that needs redirecting back to God.

James K. A. Smith quotes Thomas Cranmer to sum it up:

“What the heart desires, the will chooses, and the mind justifies.”

So, if you want to grow spiritually, don’t start with your brain or just your behaviour. Start by asking: What do I really love? What do I trust? What have I set my heart on?

Because ultimately, our hearts will be ruled by something. The invitation of the gospel is to let the Kingdom of God, and the King of that Kingdom, be your first love.

How? First, pray for it. “God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). This isn’t self-improvement—it’s divine intervention. Second, steep yourself in the gospel. Keep hearing the good news until your heart sings. Third, practice habits of love: gather with God’s people, take the Lord’s Supper, serve someone who can’t repay you. These actions train our hearts to love what Jesus loves.

Augustine once said, “He loves Thee too little who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.” That’s the call: to reorder our loves around Christ, and let His Kingdom become not just our duty—but our delight.