Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart (Col 3:15) (Part 1).
What type of heart there is inside us?
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the *stony heart* out of your flesh, and I will give you a *heart of flesh*. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
To answer this question, we need to consider: How do we cope with people around us?
1st hypothesis: based on laws, only aiming at aftermaths and works. If this is the case, we have a stony heart. Although the law is important, it needs to be vivified by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, it brings death:
“who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for *the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive*. But if the *ministry of death*, having been engraved in letters in stone was with glory (so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his face), which was being done away; shall not the ministry of the Spirit be with more glory? For if the *ministry of condemnation* is glorious, much more does the ministry of righteousness exceed in glory.” (2Cor 3:6-9)
Many times, we focus so much on our desires and projects that we forget that our role in this world is to multiply the talents (Mat 25:19-23) and minas (Luke 19:12,13). And how to do this? Sharing them with people around us through piety (see Malachi 2:15) in Christ Jesus, so that they can do the same thing with other people and so forth.
The works only are excuse for us to have access to people’s heart:
“And I say to you, Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves, so that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.” (Luke 16:9).
Our works, as good as they look to our eyes, are, indeed, filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). So much so that, in the end, everything will be destroyed by fire:
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up.” (2Pe 3:10).
So, once this is truth, why do we demand that all our work can be done with perfection for those who Jesus put in our live to serve us? Let’s not fall in the judgment the hover the wicked:
“Behold, is it not for Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only for fire; yea, the nations weary themselves only for vanity?” (Hab 2:13).
“For God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives labor, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Ecc 2:26).
This certainly will make us to lose our feelings and, thereby, we will be entangled in addictions:
“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should not walk from now on as other nations walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. For they, being past feeling, have given themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Eph 4:17-19).
So, have a good day being careful so that the law didn’t use your sense of justice to slay the true reason for which you are in this world, namely, to make Jesus known by every people around you (Mat 5:14-16). May every one of them be a stone in your crown of glory and joy (see Zechariah 9:16; 1Thess 2:19,20).
What type of heart there is inside us?
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. And I will take away the *stony heart* out of your flesh, and I will give you a *heart of flesh*. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments and do them.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).
To answer this question, we need to consider: How do we cope with people around us?
1st hypothesis: based on laws, only aiming at aftermaths and works. If this is the case, we have a stony heart. Although the law is important, it needs to be vivified by the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, it brings death:
“who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for *the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive*. But if the *ministry of death*, having been engraved in letters in stone was with glory (so that the sons of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses because of the glory of his face), which was being done away; shall not the ministry of the Spirit be with more glory? For if the *ministry of condemnation* is glorious, much more does the ministry of righteousness exceed in glory.” (2Cor 3:6-9)
Many times, we focus so much on our desires and projects that we forget that our role in this world is to multiply the talents (Mat 25:19-23) and minas (Luke 19:12,13). And how to do this? Sharing them with people around us through piety (see Malachi 2:15) in Christ Jesus, so that they can do the same thing with other people and so forth.
The works only are excuse for us to have access to people’s heart:
“And I say to you, Make friends by the mammon of unrighteousness for yourselves, so that when you fail, they may receive you into everlasting dwellings.” (Luke 16:9).
Our works, as good as they look to our eyes, are, indeed, filthy rag (Isaiah 64:6). So much so that, in the end, everything will be destroyed by fire:
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. And the earth and the works in it will be burned up.” (2Pe 3:10).
So, once this is truth, why do we demand that all our work can be done with perfection for those who Jesus put in our live to serve us? Let’s not fall in the judgment the hover the wicked:
“Behold, is it not for Jehovah of Hosts that the people labor only for fire; yea, the nations weary themselves only for vanity?” (Hab 2:13).
“For God gives wisdom, and knowledge, and joy to a man who is good in His sight. But to the sinner He gives labor, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” (Ecc 2:26).
This certainly will make us to lose our feelings and, thereby, we will be entangled in addictions:
“This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should not walk from now on as other nations walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart. For they, being past feeling, have given themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.” (Eph 4:17-19).
So, have a good day being careful so that the law didn’t use your sense of justice to slay the true reason for which you are in this world, namely, to make Jesus known by every people around you (Mat 5:14-16). May every one of them be a stone in your crown of glory and joy (see Zechariah 9:16; 1Thess 2:19,20).
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