Lenten Devotional, Day 20: Heart Before Hands, "Their Own Counsels," "Doctrine of Christ"
Dear Saints,
Monday Scriptures: Psalm 81, Genesis 24:1–27, 2 John 1:1–13.
"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace!" (2 John 1:3). Perhaps we need that after springing ahead on the clock and out of bed this morning.
A few things, truly devotional I believe:
HEART BEFORE HANDS:
Imagine a child goes and says before supper: 'Mom, are my hands clean enough?' And mom says, 'I don't know, let me see your face.' Child again: Why look at my face to check my hands?' Mom: 'Because the face reflects the heart and that's what I'm really concerned about. When your heart is clean so will be your hands.'
This next comment will feel ‘Lentish’ I hope: Repentance often focuses on the outside of the cup first (rf. Matthew 23:25–26). In spiritual reality without a clean heart there are no clean hands, that is good deeds flow from pure motive.
Just a lil continuation of a thought from yesterday that bears a Bliblical exclamation point; that is, it bears repeating. I can "stray in heart" (Psalm 95:10) with my feet firmly upon the narrow path. Something to think about.
Indeed, let's pray it together: "Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!" (Psalm 139:23–24).
THEY WALKED IN THEIR OWN COUNSELS"
Related to the above, I spoke on repentance this morning. The word is often misunderstood. (Opps, I won't repeat the sermon). Anyway, like the outside of the cup, repentance often focuses on "horizontal" things; that is the things our neighbors would notice. And "vertical" sins directly against God are overlooked.
Hmm, initial, foremost repentance is to go from: 'I'm my own wo/man. Nobody is going to tell me what to think, say, do. I live by my own dictates.' Yet in our reading God makes His opinion of that known: "So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels." (Psalm 81:12). Whereas repentance says not: 'I think..! I feel..!' but rather: 'It is written..! Thus saith the Lord..! Not my will but Yours be done..!
And why does this matter? Because God can bring forth "honey out of the rock" or rather from between a rock & hard place (Psalm 81:16).
"DOCTRINE OF CHRIST"
That is 2 John 1:9. I specifically quoted the 1611 King James Version to help illustrate a point. Our ears don't naturally want to hear "doctrine," we want to hear abide in the love of Christ. And the Bible does say that (rf. Jude 1:21). But continuing in the doctrine, teaching, truth of Christ matters too. People often quote the Beatles to me: 'All we need is love!' Then they will say: 'Doctrine divides." And I'll say (thank you John MacArthur): 'Why yes it does, truth from error.' I say it playfully, not to be mean.
I say it mostly to get to an eternal, apostolic, forever, Biblical prayer. In fact, let's pray it together for all the beloved, churches, and ministries throughout The Iron Range:
"For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And it is my prayer that your LOVE may abound more and more, WITH KNOWLEDGE and ALL DISCERNMENT, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." (Phillippians 1:8–11).
The Only Peace/Rest is/in Christ,
tIM