Christian author and speaker S. D. Gordon said, “In every man’s life there is a throne. And when self is on the throne, Christ is on the cross. But when Christ is on the throne, self is on the cross.”

As we think about our Christian walk it is wise to occasionally do an inventory of our heart. It is a great truth that we war against principalities and powers; but it is equally true that our hearts are prone to wonder. Often times the sin that so easily besets us has very little to do with the world as much as it does with the condition of our heart.

The bible says that God “has put eternity into man’s heart (Eccles 3:11). I think that this attribute of our heart was created to be the throne where God reigns over our life. But often times we don’t allow God to fill that space, but instead we attempt to fill it ourselves.

Unfortunately we do not have the capacity to do that. When it is not filled properly by God’s Spirit then we are left incomplete with a sense of longing and emptiness. But instead of turning to God through Christ, we often seek to fill that space with our own ambitions and desires. In the end all we get for our trouble is a more intense longing and feelings of emptiness.

One of the great promises of God, however, is that we can enter His rest (Matt 11:28; Heb 4:9-10). When a person rests in Christ, they don’t experience longing and emptiness. They experience peace and joy. It is said that such a person rests from all their labors. As such they no longer are striving to fill that eternity in their hearts through their own efforts.

Only God has the capacity to fill that special place. He designed it that way. If your heart is troubling you today, could it be that you are trying to fill it yourself? Remember it’s a bottomless pit! It’s a place of eternity. No matter how much you put in there, it will never be enough to fill it. Only God can do that.

The good news is that the promise still stands. Jesus invites us today to enter His rest. We can stop striving and simply invite Him into the place that He was meant to fill, and experience His peace and rest.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matt 11:28-29).