March 31, 2020 THE REVEALING
James 1:12 “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life the Lord has promised to those who love Him.”
Romans 5:3-5 “Not only so, but we also glory in our suffering, because we know that suffering produces perseverance ; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”
1 Peter 4:12 “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
How we respond to various circumstances and situations reveal what’s in our hearts. We are such creatures of habit, and are so easily locked into certain mindsets regarding why we do what we do and we write up our responses as ‘just being who we are.’ If you read the scriptures, you soon learn that God is primarily concerned with our hearts; since that is God’s primary concern, should it not be our primary concern as well? Before we get to far into this, let us be reminded that God has given us a new heart and out of our new heart we can respond to any circumstance in a way that is pleasing to our Father. How we respond to circumstances, particularly adverse circumstances, reveals whether we are living out of our new heart, or out of our old heart-who we use to be. So, this blog is not written on the assumption that we are all responding in the wrong way; the goal is that we will take note of our responses for the purpose of evaluating our hearts. By the way, when I talk about our ‘response,’ I’m referring to our outward response as well as the response we have on the inside-that may never be expressed outwardly. Our hearts, our deepest thoughts, are the real us. I must add that our hearts are not set in concrete; our hearts can change. Walking in the Spirit and putting on the new man is something we do daily; daily we are called to die to self, or lay aside the old self and walk in newness. It is a giant step forward when we see that whatever is happening at the moment is an opportunity to see the response of our heart-the revealing of our heart. It’s not so much what happens-most of it we have no control over-but our response that greatly matters. It is the nature of the unregenerate person to get back at the one who wronged them, to even the score. However, when one is living out of their new heart, their response is different when wronged; instead of responding with anger or a ‘get them back’ attitude, they respond in a way that Jesus would respond. Matthew 6:14 tells us to forgive others who wrong us. This is not saying that when wronged, we just pretend nothing never happened. It hurts when someone does us harm, but we must own it and deal with it out of the new person we are. Jesus talked about going the extra mile, or giving them our coat, or turning the other cheek when done wrong. Proverbs 25:21-22 reads “If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head, and the Lord will reward you.” To try to sum this up, Jesus came and demonstrated the kingdom of God; He loved even His enemies; He did not respond as the world responds; He forgave trespasses; and all He did and said was done out of love. Jesus demonstrated life in the kingdom so that we might see how it’s done and then do likewise! However, we cannot live and respond as Jesus did unless we live out of the new heart that He has given us. It is not difficult to respond as He responds-it’s natural out of our new hearts. If we find our responses have not been right, then do not be condemned, but ask God to show you that He has made you new and has put His Spirit in you that you may live and respond to all circumstances as He would respond. I realize that there are times when we fail, but walking in the Spirit means that when we fail, we quickly confess it, turn from it, and continue living out of our new identity.
1 Samuel 16:7b “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.”
Blessings,
Buddy
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