WATCHWORD:
18 But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. 19 For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 20 These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.” Matthew 15:18-20
1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. 4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight; so you are right in your verdict and justified when you judge. Psalm 51:1-4
Meditation:
Black-Hearted?
Whatcha got hidden in your heart, fella? Would you be willing to post those sly little thoughts, for all the world to see, the total content of your mind, your heart, your desires? You say, of course, my mind is as white as the driven snow. So, you don’t think there’s a black corner in your inner being? I wonder.
What thoughts, do you suppose, David had standing on that roof-top, the King gazing down on bathing women? This is the man after God’s own heart? How is the rape and murder connected with Bathsheba and Uriah a foundation piece within his worship of God? How do we sort this out?
Oswald Chambers tells us that we trust our ignorance and call it innocence. Then we trust our innocence and call it purity. We find pride nestled somewhere in that lie. We may read “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, etc., and we respond strongly “I have never felt any of those things in my heart nor have I acted on any of those things. And I have to tell you, Lord, that I resent what you are implying.” The Lord smiles and answers, ‘Resent’ may not be the word you should use. Try ‘resemble’, that’s a better fit.
Nathan the prophet came to see David, and he comes to see us. He tells the story of two men, one rich and one poor. And how the rich man took from the poor man the one ewe which he had bought and nourished, and which had grown up with his children. We are angry at this injustice, just as David was. He said, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this shall surely die!” Nathan points his finger at David and at us and says “you are that person!”
Can we, like David, fall on our faces at the foot of the cross and realize that, yes, I am that person? That’s very hard to do. There’s that prickly pride, again. Chambers says, “If I will take an honest look at myself, becoming fully aware of my so-called innocence and putting it to the test, I’m very likely to have a rude awakening that what Jesus said is true, and I will be appalled at the possibilities of the evil and the wrong within me. As long as I remain under the false security of my own innocence, I am living in a fool’s paradise.”
So, one more time, Whatcha got hidden in your heart, fella? No, you don’t need to post that darkness, but you don’t need to drag around, either. The protection that you and I need is the cleansing of the black corners of our hearts, through the redemption of Jesus Christ. That washing of our lives comes when we lay it all at the foot of the cross, along with our hearts and our lives. Amen.
Bulletin Board:
Would you rather have proof positive then faith? Think about that and tune in to next Saturday for a Watchword entitled “Proof Positive!”
A Cleansing Reminder:
God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; God of hope, of new life–All our times are in Your hands. We thank and praise You, for you are the Lord of our yesterdays, and our todays and our tomorrows. In You, the old is redeemed and everything has become new! Amen.
Prayer to Illumine Me, Spirit Divine:
