This and That: Keeping the heart.

This and That – Heart Problems

Gen 6:5  The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  ESV
Mat 15:19  For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.  ESV

Jas 1:26  If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.  ESV

I’m working on a bigger piece about our hearts and how it is so very important that we “keep” or “guard” them.  We need to take on the responsibility of doing this much more than we do.

Pro 4:23  Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.  ESV

The word “keep” here means to guard or protect.  It carries the idea of protecting, preserving and maintaining something entrusted to us.  And indeed we have been entrusted with a great gift.

Eze 36:26  And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  ESV

Though our heart is new it is still subject to our old ways – our flesh.  Having a new heart does not automatically erase all our old pleasures, desires, wants or weaknesses.  It is a new heart in an old bag of bones.

Ever bought a new shiny car?   I get a kick out or people and how protective they can be.  They take up two parking spaces, they don’t drive in the rain or snow, they try to not part under trees of power lines.  They do everything they can to keep the car as pristine as possible.  But I’ve also noticed that once they ge that first ding their commitment to keeping that car pristine waxes.  It’s like, “Oh well – never mind.”

We do that with our new hearts.  Certainly we keep our hearts away from the BIGGIES we indulged in but we don’t notice the little dings and dents.  This is not a good thing.

We make a great show of admiring purity but do we really?  A bride who has slept with her groom before the wedding (or slept with somebody) will typically still want to wear white.  We are consumed with looking the part – the pure part – but how concerned are we about actual purity?
coat will we tolerate before we take it to Goodwill?

We have “dress” clothes that we wear when we want to impress and we have grubbies we wear when we’re cleaning out the storage room.  We don’t want to blemish our dress clothes so we have others we don’t care if we blemish or not.

Remember when you were a kid and you got a new article of clothing and your Mom wouldn’t let you wear it except a certain times because whe didn’t want you to ruin it?  Remember how she freaked when you got something on it?

So, how’s the new heart?  There isn’t anything more preciouse in all of creation.  Got a few stains here and there?  Maybe they’re not visible but they’re there – right?

David prayed,
Psa 51:10  Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.  ESV
That “clean” means pure.  It is a pure heart that we have been given – how well have we done in keeping it that way?

If you’re like me you know well that we don’t do a very good job.  Of course we also know that:
1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  ESV

But do you realize that this verse is right between:
1Jn 1:8  If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  ESV
And
1Jn 1:10  If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  ESV

What will it take for us to see the keeping of our new hearts as the most fundamental of our Christian duties?  How can we come to the point where we make it our consuming passion to honor God by keeping/guarding this precious gift He has so graciously given us?  When will we be sensitive enough to be as repulsed by a small stain on our new hearts as we are about a small ding on our new car or a small stain on our new shirt?

When we make keeping/guarding our hearts a matter of paramount importance in our prayers, asking God to convict us that we might guard our hearts, begging Him for the sensitivity to perceive that attacks and threats – then we will have begun.  I believe that when we begin to take this matter to Him and seek His power and guidance He will provide it.  But as long as we remain comfortably complacent our hearts will suffer – and hence our walk will suffer – and in this, the glory and honor of God will suffer.

This and That The "flats?" 101012

This and That  The Flats?  101012

Weariness?  Dole-drums?  Numbness?

Ever have one of those days - weeks maybe even months when though you know the know the joy of the Lord, you just don't feel it?  It's like being at Disneyworld with a bad cold.  You know it's wonderful and you ought to have a good time but it's just out of reach.  I call this, "the flats."

It's not a "valley," and certainly not a "mountaintop," it's just flat.  You are unmotivated and seemingly unaffected concerning anything related to he faith.  Everything you thing about doing seem artificial and manipulative.  OK - maybe depressed is a good word but I know depression and this is not it.  It's just, "the flats."

So, that's where I am today and where I was yesterday.  I've tossed it up to the throne room and given it consideration and attention and even reviewed all my highlights in my reading to try and find out where this is coming from.

I'd almost say that I don't care - but I do.  I'd almost say I was failing in faithfulness but my practices are still important to me.  I'd say I was under oppression but that's a little strong.  I'm just in the "flats."

But in looking for the source of the flatishness I am hard pressed to discover it.   God is providing well and faithfully for us.  He even blessed us with the means to replace Patti's, computer so she can work on her photography.  Folks are reading my blog - or at least visiting it.  The Bible Study and care group are going well.  So I am not able to discover anything that would be the source of the flats.

So, I wonder if what I am experiencing is, well, contentment.  Oh, according to the "world's" measure and the fleshes expectations, thing are pretty awful.  But apart from that everying is AOk - even good.

I wonder if, because we allow the world and the flesh to have such impact on our hearts, we get used to living in a crisis state which becomes our norm.  I wonder if, becasue we are so prone to be faithful when times are tough and lax when things are good that we actually (somehow) create crisis for ourselves so we can go to and feel close to God.

Let me give you an example.  We went to shop for Patti's computer.  Now usually I go nuts in a store with lots of gadgets and gizmos.  So, while Patti was looking and considering and wearing down the salesguy I went to peruse all the latest and geatest goodies on offer.  I actually got bored.  As I looked at the goodies I kept asking, "What does this do that what God has alrady provided doesn't do?  Well, there were a goodly number of things the new goodies do.  But, they are things I don't do - or don't need to do.  That's when I first notices the flats.
I realized that i didn't "need" anything and that I really had no "wants."  Sickly, that bummed me out.  It was a shock - and a shock I'm still getting over.  I was content?

OK, let's suppose what I am experienceing is contentment.  I have to say that if it is, I have never experienced it before.  Ever.  What used to be a big deal - isn't.  What used to seem important, isn't.  The allure of the latest gizmo and gadget isn't.

Let's see:
I'm not worried about having our need met.
I'm not bummed because I can't get new goodies.
I'm not even impressed with the new goodies.
I'm beginning to not be able to understand wants.
I'm not into much TV if any.
I'm not fretting the election.
The work I have to do (all of it) is sufficient and honorable and satifying.

So - either I am terribly depressed or I am content.

I'm betting on content.  Why?
Well it's kind of a weird point.

James 1:14-16 But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15 Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.  ESV

2 Peter 2:14b They have hearts trained in greed.  ESV

Maybe, just maybe, my desires have changed.  Maybe, just maybe, my heart is being retrained.

I'm on my second read of John Flavel's book, Keeping the Heart.  Maybe it's having an effect of which I was not aware.  Maybe it's true - good stuff in - good stuff out.  Maybe, as I "renew" my mind, my heart is affected more than I thought.

But I want to lay my money (haha) on contentment.  Not pridefully and certainly not due to anything I did but because God is working His promise in me as I work to fill my mind with wisdom and understanding.  All I can say is that I read a book - am reading it again and I'm seeing changes that I didn't choose or decide upon.

Maybe contentment is more a work of the Spirit than we think.  Maybe a lot of our attempts at being content are superfluous or at least minor elements.  Oh, I want to learn to be content and have prayed to learn but to be honest I was clueless as to how you got it.

Maybe (haha) there is really something to:

Phil 4:8&9  Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.   ESV

Small tract on Keeping the Heart

Greetings, I have written a small tract based upon a section of John Flavel's book, Keeping the Heart.  It's a little long to post here so I've posted it at the tc2v1 website -
http://www.tc2v1.com/page4.php
Praying it is a blessing!
Michael

My first tract: Duties Included in Keeping the Heart

I've written a tract based upon Flavel's work, Keeping the Heart; Duties Included in Keeping the Heart
It can be found at:
http://www.tc2v1.com/page4.php

I have several others in the works and will post them on that website as they are completed.

In Him,
Michael