The Affections of Our Heart Will Determine the Orbit Of Our Lives



“Like the Earth orbits around the Sun, we orbit around what we love.”
                                                                                                     ~Rande Greene

An orbit is the gravitationally curved trajectory of an object such as a planet around a star, which follows an elliptical orbit with the central mass being orbited at a focal point of the ellipse.
                                                                                                                           ~ Wikipedia

When an object continually changes direction, it is said to be accelerating.  According to Isaac Newton’s computations, the direction of the acceleration is towards the Sun and is the cause of the magnitude of the object’s acceleration according to the inversely proportional square of the planet’s distance from the Sun.   

In layman’s terms, we see an increase acceleration around the focal point as the distance decreases between the Sun and the other object. 

Although the distance between two objects has a large bearing on the rate of acceleration so does the mass of objects. 

The 'weight' that something carries in our lives is directly proportional to the degree of affection that we have for that ‘thing’.

We will orbit around what we love.  If we love Jesus- that affection will provide a gravitational pull that will reorient our lives if we get off track, aligning our orbit around the Son once again.

In order for us to realize where our affections lie we must be willing to examine our affections. 

Ephesians 5:15-17
So be careful how you live. 
Don’t live like ignorant people, 
but like wise people.  
Make good use of every opportunity you have, 
because these are evil days.  
Don’t be fools, then, but try to find out 
what the Lord wants you to do. 
  

What we love and hold in affection will determine how we live. 

If Christ is at the center of our lives then the trajectory of our lives will be dictated by the magnitude of our affection for Him.

What do we prioritize in our lives?  Be aware of what your priorities are and that will give you insight into the value that you place on Jesus.  Is He at the center of your life or is something else? 

Where do your affections take you?  Do you think about Him and His great love toward you, seeking to please Him in all that you do or does He take 2nd,3rd or even 4th chair in the symphony of your life? 

When we live by our convictions our lives will be dictated by those convictions.  

Let your love for Him keep you in His orbit. 

There will be influences in your life that try to keep you from Jerusalem.

Daniel provides a perfect example of a life in full swing around his King.  When a law was established to trip him up in his religious observances, he did not get off track.  Daniel maintained his orbit around the Lord. 

Daniel 6:10 
When Daniel learned that the order had been signed, 
he went home.  In an upstairs room of his house 
there were windows that faced toward Jerusalem. 
There, just as he had always done, 
he knelt down at the open windows 
and prayed to God three times a day.

Daniel did not allow the trajectory of the culture to pull him off course of his orbit around his King.  If anything, Daniel positioned his heart more resolutely to keep his eyes on the Lord.  He made his relationship with the Lord THE priority in his life. 

And as we see a few verses later, his position did not keep him out of trouble but he was kept safe through the danger.

At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit.  
When he go there, he called out anxiously, 
“Daniel, servant of the living God!  
Was the God you serve so loyally able 
to save you from the lions?”  
Daniel answered, 
“May Your majesty live forever!  
God sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions 
so that they would not hurt me.  
He did this because he knew that I was innocent 
and because I have not wronged you, Your Majesty.”

We can learn from Daniel how to stay in orbit with God.  Loving and serving Him despite the consequences, making him the priority in our lives keeps us facing the Jerusalem of His presence.


So let's reposition our affections toward the Son, drawing near to Him and keeping our sights on Him, serving Him loyally and by so doing we will be kept in the path of His great love, orbiting the Son of God!

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