Meditation December 2020 – Retraining the Heart for Legacy
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. (Romans 8:6)
I often imagine a light switch when I read this passage. When we flip the switch up, the lights come on; when we flip the switch down, darkness invades. The same is true in our three-dimensional lives – the body, soul, and spirit. When our soulical dimension (our mental capacity, our determinate will, and our emotional personality) is connected to the spiritual dimension (the part of us that is in communication with God), we have positive spiritual life. When we connect our soulical man (also referred to in the scripture as our mind or our heart) with the carnal nature (the physical part of us that is associated with the things of this world that Solomon concluded to be only vanity), the result is darkness, death, and destruction. We see this principle plainly in the lives of David and Jeroboam. David determined to make his heart perfect toward God – and this became the foundation of his positive legacy. Jeroboam, on the other hand, rejected all that he knew about God in order to build a kingdom for himself – and this became the groundwork for his destructive legacy. Thus, it can be concluded that the key to establishing a legacy is to learn how to educate and orient our soulical nature.
Educators tell us that we learn by two methods: emotional implantation and repetition. When a very powerful event happens in our lives, the lesson – whether positive or negative – associated with that event is imprinted solidly on the blackboard of our memories and becomes almost impossible to erase. On the other hand, anything which is repeated often enough – whether true or false – will also become indelibly etched on our memory bank and we will wind up believing it whether we really want to or not. The two learning models are basically the same as the evolutionist’s versus the creationist’s view of the birth of the Grand Canyon. The evolutionist says that the gorge was carved by a little bit of water over a long period of time. The creationist says that the canyon was produced in a very short period of time by a huge amount of water. Whether it is a little thought constantly repeated over a long period of time or a huge thought impacting instantly, the result is all the same – awesome landmarks in our mental and emotional landscape.
Realizing that we can become just as susceptible to remembering and believing the negative and false as we are to being impregnated with the positive truth of the Word of God, we must learn how to guard our thinking so that we do not believe a lie and be damned (II Thessalonians 2:11-12) or, at least, be stunted in our spiritual development.
The Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 12:2 that the key to living lives which are not conformed to the nature of the world but are in alignment with the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God was to be found in renewing our minds – our soulical nature also known as the heart. Jesus told us to be careful how we hear, implying that we must censor not only what we hear but also the mindset with which we hear and the filters which we force the message through before we allow it to impact our lives. (Luke 8:18) Two people can hear exactly the same words with two totally different interpretations because of their predetermined disposition. For example: if we hear that the stock market is going down, one man will hear the news as a warning that it is time to sell and get out of the market before the bottom drops out; another will hear the news as a message that it is time to buy as much stock as possible because it is selling at bargain-basement pricing. Both heard exactly the same facts and figures, but each interpreted them differently because of his personal bias.
Remember the story of the twelve spies who went to check out the Promised Land. Of the dozen men who explored the territory, only Caleb and Joshua ever got to actually live in the land and enjoy its bounty. All twelve saw the land and thought that it was a wonderful place, which flowed with milk and honey. However, two of the men had a different way of thinking about the land, its inhabitants, and – most importantly – themselves. It was how they thought that made the difference. Ten saw the land and thought that it would swallow them up (Numbers 13:32); two thought of the land as God’s generous provision (Numbers 13:27). Ten saw the giants and thought that they were too big to hit (Numbers 13:28); two saw them and thought that they were too big to miss (Numbers 13:30). Ten saw themselves as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33); two saw themselves as well able to take the land (Numbers 13:30). All twelve of these men were chosen for this reconnaissance mission because they had leadership qualities (Numbers 13:2). In today‘s standards, they would have all been Ivy League graduates with perfect SAT scores. But only two actually developed into leaders. The difference was all in their minds – the way they thought about the facts they learned.
In Corinthians, Paul addressed the issue of maturing (or failing to mature) when he flatly stated that it was the church’s carnality that kept them at the baby stage. (I Corinthians 3:1-3) Later, he told them that it was possible to move forward in maturity and gave himself as an example of one who had put away childish thinking in order to mature (I Corinthians 13:11) and commanded them that they too abandon immature thinking and understanding (I Corinthians 14:20). To the Colossians, he wrote that they could become the new men that God wanted them to be through proper knowledge. (Colossians 3:10) A similar injunction to the Ephesian church (Ephesians 4:23-24) was preceded by a warning that it is those who remain as children who will be deceived by false and deceptive doctrine (verse 4:14). The Apostle Peter (I Peter 2:2) and the author of Hebrews (Hebrews 5:11-12) used the metaphor of food – progressing from a baby’s sustenance of milk to a mature person’s diet of meat. This emphasized the necessity of solid instruction in the Word of God as the formula for spiritual growth and maturity.
Both Paul and Peter, the two outstanding pillars of the early church, admonish us to establish solid thought patterns as a key to our spiritual survival and maturity.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. (Romans 12:2)
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (I Peter 1:13)
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (II Peter 1:1-11)
In order to get an insight into how this maturing process actually works, allow me to suggest that you think back to your childhood and remember the little Mister Potato Head toy. Well, since you saw him last, he has grown up, been to Bible school, and is now ordained into the ministry. He is now Minister Potato Head, and he has some important messages to communicate through the little push-in facial features that give him his characteristic appearance – little plastic body parts that make holes in his potato head.
When I was growing up in the Deep South, we used an expression to describe things that we really didn’t want or need: “I need that like I need a hole in my head.” Even though I’m not sure where the expression came from or what it meant exactly, I want to use that old expression to convey the opposite of what it communicated back when I was a kid. The next few thoughts are as necessary to our spiritual maturity as having some holes in our heads. You see, there are three gateways to the heart that are entered through the holes in our heads. If we can understand how these gateways work and how they interact with our hearts, we will realize the value of the holes in our heads. Our ultimate goal will be to become like the three little monkeys who “see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil” – able to leave a positive and fulfilling legacy.
When we enter a room, we readily realize that it is hot, cold, or comfortable. If it seems a bit chilly or a little warm, the first thing we do is check the thermometer to see what the temperature is. In our personal lives, our mouths are the thermometers of our hearts. Jesus Himself told us:
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. (Matthew 12:34)
A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. (Luke 6:45)
Think of any bottle that you might purchase in the supermarket. When you open the cap and start to pour out the contents, the only thing that comes out is what’s inside. I’m sure that you are thinking that this is such an obvious truth that it is strange for me to take the space to even mention it. However, have you ever stopped to consider that the opening in the top of the bottle is called its “mouth”? If the bottle has pure water in it, only pure water will come out of its mouth. If the bottle contains poison, only poison will come out through its mouth. The same is true with our mouths; what is in our hearts will eventually spill out through our lips. Just as a thermometer tells us whether the furnace is working, our mouths are true indicators of what the spiritual temperature is inside our hearts.
When the fire of the gospel is roaring full blast inside our hearts, the thermometer of our mouths will soar upward. The prophet Jeremiah testified, “Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay.” (Jeremiah 20:9)
On the alternate end of the spectrum, the Apostle James taught us that the mouth can also become a raging fire if the flames of hell itself are boiling in the heart:
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. (James 3:1-6)
Notice that in the middle of this discourse, the apostle mentioned the relationship between our tongue and becoming perfect or mature; conformed to the image of Christ.
Of course, it is true that we can sometimes guard our speech so that what is inside our hearts is not revealed. We’ve all had those moments when we had to “bite our tongues.” However, I have observed that there are two situations in which the secrets of the heart are revealed. The first is in a sudden stressful moment. Just think about the last time you hit your thumb with a hammer or when some careless driver cut in front of you in traffic, almost causing an accident. I’m sure that you even shocked yourself with some of the words that erupted from your lips. The other time is when we are on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum – when we are relaxed and in a totally comfortable, non-threatening environment. I have personally experienced this scenario all too often with ministers as they have gathered for private fellowship after the church service. Men, who just minutes before were preaching faith and love, will often be overheard expressing their doubts and verbalizing criticisms. The relaxed atmosphere of stepping out from in front of the crowd had opened up the gateway of their hearts to expose their true spiritual temperature.
In Psalm 141:3, David expressed his desire to guard his mouth and even acknowledged that his lips were a gateway, “Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.” However, it is in the following verse that we see that the true heart of the matter is the matter of the heart. “Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity.” His son Solomon confirmed that the heart is the source in Proverbs 4:23, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Even though he also wrote that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21), Solomon acknowledged that the very wellspring for those issues of life is in the heart of the man.
Jesus gave a very thought-provoking teaching when He admonished us to cut off our hands if they offend us and to pluck out our eyes if they cause us to sin. (Matthew 5:30) If we were to follow this teaching explicitly, I’m afraid that the entire church would be populated with blind amputees. However, even those of us who are not able to translate Greek and exegete the text like Bible scholars can sense that the Master must not have been demanding that we begin to mutilate our bodies over every sinful thought or deed. We somehow instinctively understand that Jesus meant that the wickedness resided not in the physical member of the body, but in the sinfulness of our hearts – exactly what Jesus confirmed in Matthew 15:19. The truth is that, if it is too cold or hot in a room, the thermometer cannot alter the situation; the problem has to be dealt with at the furnace. So it is with our lives; our mouths are neither the problem nor the solution. They are only indicators of what churns in the heart. Any correction must be made in the heart.
I’d like to quote a couple of lines from a song that my mother often sang to me:
Be careful little eyes what you see,
Be careful little ears what you hear.
If the mouth is the thermometer of our heart, our eyes and ears can be considered to be the thermostats of the heart. No matter what we do to the thermometer, it will not alter the condition of the furnace; however, we can change what is happening in the furnace by adjusting the thermostat. In the same way, what we allow to enter through our eyes and ears will affect the temperature of our hearts.
As Christians, we obviously know that the first and foremost thing which we need to allow to enter our inner man is the Word of God. Jesus said that His words were spirit and life. (John 6:63) If we want life to flow out of our hearts, we must ensure that life is flowing in. The only way to do this is to make sure that we are constantly getting a steady diet of the Word of God. Just one example of the life-giving power in the spoken Word of God can be seen in the vision given to the prophet Ezekiel who was commanded to prophesy to a field of dead bones.
Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. Thus saith the Lord GOD unto these bones; Behold, I will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no breath in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. (Ezekiel 37:4-10)
Imagine the power that the Word of God can have in our lives if it can have such a dramatic effect on the totally dead, dismembered, decayed, and dried out corpses of a long-forgotten army. Unfortunately, all too many of us refuse to truly hear and absorb that life-giving Word. In the same context in which Jesus made the proclamation concerning His words being spirit and life, many of His followers turned away because they found His teaching to be too difficult and too demanding. When Jesus turned to His close disciples and asked if they would also abandon Him, Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68) Even when the truth becomes a “hard pill to swallow” we must determine that we will not forsake it because the Word of God is the only ingredient that can properly fuel the furnace of our faith.