Keep Your Heart on Fire

Reflection on Matthew 24:12-13 — 11/11/2023

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. — Matthew 24:12-13

Despair is what happens when hopelessness finally settles in. It is resigning oneself to the untruth that things will never improve. Once this settled resignation is in place “love grows cold,” then it freezes and shatters.

In Matthew 24 this happened as people saw “the increase of wickedness.” In marriages it happens after years of one or both parties never appropriately growing. In communities it happens when one group begins to think another group is hopeless, just listen to how they describe one another. Also, look at the ways war is waged, both actual and marketing; both are fueled by contempt sown by despair, which leads to an indifference that makes all manner of atrocities possible.

Peter Kreeft summarized it perfectly when he said, “Dullness, not doubt, is the strongest enemy of faith, just as indifference, not hate, is the strongest enemy of love.”

So how do we guard against despair? How do we keep our hearts from growing cold?

“Stand firm.” On what? On God and his Word!

This may seem simplistic, but we stand on things we can count on, especially when all else seems shaky. That is, we place our hope on them. As the little child doesn’t think they’ll starve because their hope is in their parents, so we can trust that God’s plan to overcome evil with good will not be thwarted. He will have the last word and final action.

Our part is to keep our hearts from growing cold. How? By factoring in every situation the God described as a consuming fire!

Karl Barth famously said, “Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.”

You can replace newspaper with any modern conveyor of good or bad news. This will help us see all potential situations in the light of God, who is hope. This will ensure that we will have hearts that are constantly warmed by his Spirit, and we will endure standing on the hope that God who began this work of creation, will complete it marvelously.

God of hope, fill us with all joy and peace as we place our trust in you, that you may overflow with hope by the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

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