Is there evidence of a Christian heart?

Few things hurt as badly as hearing that someone you considered a friend has torn you apart in a conversation, questioning your motives, your competence, or your character. It’s too common, even among the family of faith, our Christian brothers and sisters. And, it’s not all about ‘those people,’ either.  Have you, like me, ever walked away from a conversation and wondered, “Why did I say that? Why did I let myself go there?”  A morsel of gossip gets shared, or a critical comment slips in, or a demeaning statement is left unchallenged. It happens to all of us. On the positive side, think of one of those conversations that started down that pathway that was gently and wisely steered back to higher ground.  For me, at least, it feels wonderful to express grace when the perceived failings of another becomes the topic.

In my ongoing readings of Peter’s first letter to the Christian church, this was what I read today.  Because of the redemption of Christ, "rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:1-5, NIV)  The Spirit weaves so much truth into those few words.

When Jesus is Lord of life, when the Spirit lives in us, our heart changes and one of the evidences is what comes out of our mouth. No more malicious words, no more hypocritical words, no more slanderous talk that tears at others. Jesus taught us that “out of the heart the mouth speaks.” We cannot hope to filter our words successfully if our heart is dark. If the Spirit is invited to live in us, however, the overflow of our words will be life-giving, like refreshing water! Peter urges us to feed on Christ, with the eagerness of an infant at her mother’s breast. “Crave pure spiritual milk,” he writes. An infant received complete nourishment in mother’s milk and grows. So will we, if we are fed by Christ.

Note that Peter switches metaphor but continues similar thought. An evidence of our maturity is our willingness to be ‘built into a spiritual house.’  The old selfishness, the me-first attitude that protects self-interests, is replaced with a desire to be linked with others in the faith, fitted together like stones in a magnificent Temple!  “Living stones,” he calls us. Think about that.  The ‘together’ aspect of our Christian faith is further explained by reminding us that we called into a ‘holy priesthood.’  Peter is not, at all, emphasizing a position of power or control. He is urging us to selfless service.  A true priest of God does not do what he does for himself. He serves – God, first; then others on God’s behalf.  And, this life becomes like a pleasing offering to God.

Oh, what an amazing passage.  It starts with the ugly things of natural humanity and moves to the beauty of the life redeemed.

As you move through life today, listen to the overflow of your words. Do they reveal Christ at home in your heart?

Consider if you are letting yourself be called ‘together,’ as befits the Spirit’s work; or if you have slipped into becoming an instrument of divisiveness.

Our word from the Word is another translation of Peter’s words. May the Spirit cause them to be like mother’s milk to us, causing us to grow, to mature, and to become holy people in the service of the Lord.

"So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God. You’ve had a taste of God. Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God." (1 Peter 2:1-5, The Message)

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Word Of God Speak

(an older song from MercyMe)

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

The last thing I need is to be heard

But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak

Would You pour down like rain

Washing my eyes to see Your majesty

To be still and know

That You're in this place

Please let me stay and rest

In Your holiness

(Word of God speak)

I'm finding myself in the midst of You

Beyond the music beyond the noise

All that I need is to be with You

And in the quiet hear Your voice

I'm finding myself at a loss for words

And the funny thing is it's okay

Bart Millard | Pete Kipley

© 2002 Simpleville Music (Fair Trade Music Publishing [c/o Essential Music Publishing LLC])

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Songs From The Indigo Room (Admin. by Word Entertainment, LLC)

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Heaven on the Horizon

As consciousness dawned this morning, I thought of Heaven!  There is the obvious reason. Today, Bev and I would have celebrated our 44^th wedding anniversary. And, there are other reasons, too. In so many conversations in the last few days, I have realized in a new way, just how important it is to keep eternity in the forefront of my mind. I walked the rituals of grief with a family who lost a young son last week. I spoke with a young woman who is struggling with hopelessness. Another person shared the brokenness felt after great disappointment and the difficulty of finding the way to healing. 

Yes, often life grows dark, but our hope of Heaven is like the ancient navigator’s North star. It keeps us from wandering, infuses us with purpose, and whispers assurance to us in the disappointments that inevitably come our way.

Peter’s inspired words to us teach us that "Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God." (1 Peter 1:18-21, The Message)  Other translations begin this way- “live as strangers with reverence.”

We are not ‘home,’ we are going home. Our Father restored us to Himself through the sacrifice of Jesus and He has prepared a place’ (John 14) for us in His house. When I travel, I love seeing new places, meeting new faces, but I love to go home. Home is where I can relax, feel safe, kick off my shoes, raid my fridge, and turn up the music. Home provides an identity for me, giving me roots that keep me from drifting.  Christian, are you anticipating going HOME?  Before you conclude that I have a death wish, know that there is much to live for, joys to be known among friends and family that surround us, and yet … yes, and yet we need to anticipate that eternal Home.

When we cultivate an awareness of the Presence of God with daily worship, Heaven becomes closer. When we choose to worship Him, beyond form, with a love that encompasses ‘heart, soul, mind, and strength’ eternity takes hold of us even while we are creatures of time and space.

Heaven in our heart changes us in our ‘walking around, everyday lives.’

So today, friend, invite the Spirit to come close. Give thanks for Jesus and the blood of His sacrifice that makes you holy. Look past the “empty way of life” that blinds those without God to things eternal.

Here is a word from the Word. "If only for this (present) life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a Man." (1 Corinthians 15:19-21, NIV)  "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain." (1 Corinthians 15:58, NIV)

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Build My Life

(a beautiful song of worship)

Worthy of ev’ry song we could ever sing
Worthy of all the praise we could ever bring
Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You

Jesus the name above ev’ry other name
Jesus the only one who could ever save
Worthy of ev’ry breath we could ever breathe
We live for You
We live for You

Holy there is no one like You
There is none besides You
Open up my eyes in wonder and show me who You are
And fill me with Your heart
And lead me in Your love to those around me

I will build my life upon Your love
It is a firm foundation
I will put my trust in You alone
And I will not be shaken

Brett Younker | Karl Martin | Kirby Elizabeth Kaple | Matt Redman | Pat Barrett
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So what?

Sir Hugh Beaver missed a shot at a game bird in 1954. An argument followed among the hunters about the fastest game bird in England.  Realizing that these kinds of arguments went on in pubs all over England every night, Beaver got an idea to have a book compiled about trivia and The Guinness Book of Records came into existence with the first bound edition published in London on 27 August 1955. Over the years the book has grown thicker, packed with facts, becoming the recognized authority of trivia, selling over 100 million copies! Now you can know the youngest person to achieve some goal, the identity of the most tattooed man, and a million other factoids.

Trivia, by definition, is information without serious consequence!  Let me ask you a serious question this morning.  Do you treat the Truth of Jesus Christ and your salvation as life-changing information or is the story of the Cross and Resurrection tucked into a corner of your mind as something nice to know for some time down the road of life?

Peter says that our faith and salvation is the most consequential truth we know. Having come to faith we are told to "roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”  (1 Peter 1:13-16, The Message)

When we come to know Jesus, we are reconciled to our Father, and called into His service. The life we lived before Christ, one that was being spent on money, pleasure, and perhaps creation of a legacy; is replaced with an eternal life that has but one overarching purpose. What is it?  We are invited to be engaged with knowing God and making Him known.  Our day to day decisions are made in the light of eternity, knowing that whatever we do for Jesus is never forgotten, that we can be a part of changing the eternal destiny of that person we introduce to faith, that we can defeat evil and bring Light and Life when He is allowed to work through us.

If that sounds grandiose, realize with me, it isn’t; not at all. God’s call to ‘be holy’ does not mean you must enter vocational ministry or become a missionary (though you might!).  He desires to make you the best spouse, parent, employee, neighbor … a person of integrity; right where you are today. That is the consequence of receiving the Gospel by faith.   

Are you asking, “So, what?”  Has life become something like a treadmill of meaningless existence?  Re-think your faith. Begin to connect Jesus to life now. Make a difference, for God’s sake.

Here is a word from the Word. Take it with you today. "And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of the Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through him to God the Father." (Colossians 3:17, NLT)  "Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24, NLT)

There is a world waiting, not for trivial truth, but for the Truth that changes everything.

__________

Knowing You

All I once held dear built my life upon

All this world reveres and wars to own

All I once thought gain I have counted loss

Spent and worthless now compared to this

Knowing You Jesus knowing You

There is no greater thing

You're my all You're the best

You're my joy my righteousness

And I love You Lord love You Lord

Now my heart's desire is to know You more

To be found in You and known as Yours

To possess by faith what I could not earn

All surpassing gift of righteousness

Oh to know the pow'r of Your risen life

And to know You in Your sufferings

To become like You in Your death my Lord

So with You to live and never die

Graham Kendrick

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CCLI License # 810055