There are some things that tend to get stuck in your heart - and when they do, they cause huge damage and you have to deal with that because if any of those things get lodged there, you'll spend the rest of your life covering up your own heart ... and there is huge consequence to that because those things will alienate you from God and from others and you’ll never become the person God intends -- a person 'after His own heart,' like David in the Old Testament.
'Our harsh words don't come from our mouths ... they come from our hearts.'
Jesus taught: 'What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth. That is what makes him unclean. Don't you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body?' (That’s a 2,000 year old ANATOMY lesson there.) 'The things that come out of the mouth originate in the heart, and it is these things that make a man unclean. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man 'unclean'; but eating with unwashed hands does not make him 'unclean.'' (Matthew 15:18-20)
Jesus called the crowd and said: “Our harsh words don't come from our mouths.”
‘Wait a minute; I thought they DID come from my mouth’ -- but NO, they come from my heart.
Our evil thoughts don't come from our minds. ‘Wait a minute, I thought my thoughts did come from my mind,’ but no, they come from my heart.
Murder? From our hearts? Adultery? From our hearts? Sexual immorality? From our hearts. Lying? Gossip? Theft? From our hearts.
That's why Solomon, the wisest guy who ever lived, said: 'Above all else, guard your heart ... ' (Proverbs 4:23). So let me ask you - what’s going on in there ... in your heart? Because I know you want to be a man and woman after God’s heart. To get there, you have to examine it regularly and guard what goes in it.
And be blessed.
2 comments:
So for Theology Class (Catholic/ Lasallian University) the discussion/ debate today was about Genesis, and the supposed 2 different accounts/ authors.
My response was that Genesis 1 and 2 had the same author, and that chapter 1 is the outline, and chapter 2 the details about God making Adam/ Eve, and their home.
Our class is a mix of Catholics, Orthodox Catholics, a Jewish man, Muslims, a few Christians, and some other stuff.
I suspect the teacher isn't Christian. Most of class was a debate, things came up about:
-the Bible not being archaeologically accurate (the teacher brought it up, and said we'll be discussing it later)
- another point brought up was that the Bible isn't all facts, that some is myth, and that we are supposed to take the lessons from the stories, not take it all literal.
I sat there, I felt kind of angry. I wanted to defend my beliefs, but how could I. I don't have a Doctorate, I haven't studied ancient texts, i don't know Hebrew, to explain translation errors---all I have are bits and pieces-- I couldn't form my thoughts.
I believe the Bible is trustworthy (loved that Charlie Campbell, "Evidences for the trustworthiness of the Bible").
I know of some of the fulfilled prophecies: The messiah's birth/ lineage/ the time He would come. Jesus' resurrection after 3 days, the temple being destroyed. Isaiah 44:28, 45:1- about king Cyrus and the temple...
And then for Evolution, I hate SCIENCE. I don't quite get the thought process behind most of it.
I believe in Creation week, but how do I talk about something I don't understand? Everyone is taught millions of years--How do I defend my faith, without sounding close minded, and ignorant to what's being taught as true? If we're being taught/ hinted towards a Bible that isn't accurate-- what do I say?
Its four months of this class, and today I left feeling like I failed as a Christian. How do I guard my heart on this stuff? I feel like I'm being taught not to trust the Bible.
Ps
Required Book for this class: Catholic Study Bible- New American Bible. Page 5, 2nd to last paragraph:
"Roman Catholic Teaching- and that of many other denominations- sees no incompatibility between recognizing the truth of the biblical witness and the fact that it is expressed in many forms of literary expression characteristic of human communication. Credible witness to the truth of history is not confined to an "objective" reporting of the facts in the manner of a police report or mere "factual" description of what happened. All reporting of history involves a degree of interpretation, and such means as poetry, hymns, stories, myths, and other literary forms can also communicate historical truth about past events and the perspectives of our ancestors."
Then on the next page:
" Each biblical passage, therefore must be evaluated on its own terms in attempting to distinguish between factual historical data and the theological and historical interpretation provided by the biblical writer."
Is that just a month- full saying the Bible isn't historically factual, and myths/ other things are used in it?
Hang in there, friend. Educated people can still be wrong. Cling to the inerrancy of the Bible and as you do, know that these kinds of teachings will actually serve to arm you for the future. While you're getting thru, check out the website, ANSWERS IN GENESIS. It may help you to know what the real truth is on these topics. My admiration and prayers are with you.
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