Special Guest, Jim Robbins — interviewed on Family Room Media’s weekly podcast. I was interviewed by the guys at Family Room Media about my new book, Recover Your Good Heart.
Topic: The work of Jesus goes far beyond forgiveness. It is a rescue of the heart. This is why the follower of Christ already has a new goodness, new power and new desires.

Thanks to David, Bob, and Loren at Family Room Media.

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To read excerpts of Jim’s new book, Recover Your Good Heart — Living free from religious guilt and the shame of not good-enough, CLICK HERE.

If we’re honest, many of us have this impression that even though we may have “asked Jesus to come into our hearts” at some point, he seems to have left … sort of.

It’s as if we call on him to come pay us a visit, to help us out in this situation or that; and then his nearness dissipates. The God who fades. But what kind of assumption might this discouraging view of Jesus be founded upon?

We say that the Cross and Resurrection is about an exchanged life — his for ours. But don’t we look at this rather forensically — as if the whole deal occurs on paper, like a contract with each side’s lawyers signing off on it? Wouldn’t it be better to assume that something actual was exchanged: that a sin-sick and dead heart was removed, and a new and supernaturally radiant heart was given?

There is no virtual reality here. Not in this Kingdom.
I think our problem is that when we imagine Jesus giving something to us, we think he gives us a substance, something other than himself. For example, we ask for “more grace.” So is grace a solid, liquid, gas? - A powder or something transient and illusive? Of course not. Grace is Jesus saying to us, “Take me. …
I am what you need. I’ll bind myself to you, as you.”

So why do we think he comes for a brief visit to fix a problem or answer a prayer, yet slowly disappears again as a ghost? It’s because we don’t believe that the incarnation — the self-giving of Jesus — still continues within us today. Not just for us, within us.

It’s also why we don’t believe anything supernatural really happened to us at conversion. (Again, it’s that on-paper-only problem). When he rescues, he gives himself. When he performs spiritual surgery, he gives himself. When he gives us a new and supernaturally- purified heart, he gives us his own. That’s why the Christian’s heart is good now, actually good.

“Take mine. I am what you need. I’ll bind myself to you, as you.”
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Source: “As you..” The Rest of the Gospel, Dan Stone & David Gregory.
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One of my good friends said that because of the message he was hearing in church, he expected to sin regularly. Why is this?
Because the message of the church today may not, in fact, always be the message of Jesus. His offer is not simply “get forgiven — go to heaven.” Jesus’ message is, “I will give you a new heart.” — Radiant, strong, inclined towards goodness … and not towards sin. More to the point he says, “I will give you my own heart, removing the one that used to lead you into sickness, distrust and rebellion.” Take my heart.

You can now expect holiness from your heart, the  goodness and vitality of Jesus himself within you. And this gives you permission:  to indulge your deepest desires — for they are now untainted and noble. (Didn’t God promise to “give you the desires of your heart?” How did he do that?) He gave you a new heart — with fresh desires, some of which are unique only to your heart.

You can now expect to dream more earnestly.
Delight more relentlessly.
Resist your tempters more confidently.

Your heart is stronger and more noble than you think. Expect that.