1-19-2016

Good Morning All!!   

         Romans 10:10; “For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”

    “I was of two minds about the situation.”  Have you ever heard, or said, this in a conversation?  I hear it most when I listen to parents who are making decisions about their teen age children.  They want to let their children grow, flourish and become successful adults but they don’t want them to get hurt, make bad decisions or grow up and move away.  We want them to have their freedom to grow into the people they are becoming but we don’t want them to be hurt or lost along the way so as we go we often send mixed messages and allow them their freedom in fits and spasms.  We want to let go but not too much or too fast.

    I hear it from those same people who are dealing with aging parents.  They want their parents to continue to life in the self-reliant setting that they have for their whole life but they children are worried about mom and dad’s safety and well-being.  How far do we push; how far do we go or do we just let them go and live their life as they want?  These are just two examples but we can see it when we talk about helping the poor and underprivileged.  Are we helping or are we simply enabling?  Should we choose door number 1 or should we choose door number 2?

    Scriptures would not call you of two minds; it would probably say you are of two hearts.  It was the heart that was the source of spiritual, intellectual, emotional and even volitional actions.  It contains the passions or desires of life.  To go from the heart meant the whole being was involved.  One can, in the mind, make a rational statement of aiding the poor but the heart moves you to actually give them some food or a job or some other form of aid.  It is in the heart where we must defeat our sinful nature, our sinful desires and to truly grab hold of our faith and transform who we were to whom we are to be: sons of God.

     It is the heart that is changed to bear the fruit of our faith.  Remember Jesus said that it was out of the heart that all the evil that defiles a person comes from.  It is the controlling and re-directing these passions or desires that makes us Christian.  When fear strikes, the sinful man will cower and hide or run.  The transformed heart will trust in God’s promise of being with us always.  We can stand firm and courageous because whatever it is in this world that attacks us; Jesus has already overcome it.  When sinful man feels anger he seeks vengeance.  When the transformed heart experiences anger; it seeks justice for the oppressed but also mercy for the oppressor.

    These are just a couple of examples of how man is of two hearts.  The sinful nature is there but the redeemed heart is as well.  Sometimes the sinful heart still wins but God continues to forgive and to call you back to have your heart transformed by His Spirit into his likeness.

Gracious Father, change my heart that I may serve you.  Move my heart that I may always know your peace. Guide me to your loving arms where I may rest in your protecting grace.  In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret