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The Recovery
“Understanding is the basis of care. What you would take care of you must first understand, whether it be a petunia or a nation. If you would care for your spiritual core—your heart or will—you must understand it. That is, you must understand your spirit. If you would form your heart in godliness or assist others in that process, you must understand what the heart is and what it does, and especially its place in the overall system of human life.” - Dallas Willard, excerpted from Renovation of the Heart
In order for us to experience the transformation of our hearts (our spiritual core), we must understand the heart and what it does. Dallas Willard writes, “The human heart, will, or spirit is the executive center of a human life. The heart is where decisions and choices are made for the whole person. That is its function.” So what takes place in our heart ultimately impacts every part of us, and culminates in our actions.
In Romans Chapter 1, Paul details the destructive nature of the heart in the lives of godless and wicked people. Pursuing the desires of their foolish, darkened hearts and futile minds ruined their lives. Yet the great truth of Romans 1 is that God has the power to revive and transform destructive, deformed hearts and minds through his glorious salvation.
In Chapter 2 of Renovation of the Heart, Dallas defines and explains each aspect of the person: heart (also called “spirit” and “will”), soul, mind (including feelings), body, and social context. This list echoes what Jesus identified as the two greatest commandments—to love God with your heart, soul, mind, strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Each aspect can be transformed, and each aspect affects the heart, which then affects our actions. Actions are expressions of who we are; they come out of our heart. Dallas focuses on the transformation of the heart, because as the heart is transformed, so is the whole person.
Reflection
Today, consider your actions and ponder how the condition of your heart has contributed to them.
Prayer
Masterful Creator, God, renovate and remake my heart into a reflection of yours. May every aspect of my life be transformed and filled with your glorious love.
About this Plan
Reading the New Testament often feels like looking into another world and another life unlike our own experience with God. Dallas Willard believed that the life God presented to us through Jesus was not meant to be an unsolvable puzzle, but a journey of small steps that quietly lead to our own inner transformation. This study, based on Renovation of the Heart, helps us understand that journey.
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