Christian Living

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Larry Lilly's Letter Tuesday January 4, 2011

My prayer for 2011 is that I will insist on MY heart being right with the Lord Jesus. I don't know about your heart. I do care, for as pastor/friend I will give account for how much I care and because of this Christ care I instruct you as best as I know to also hunger and thirst after the true things of God. Easy to say. To actually do….

A statement by a religious intellectual to a Harvard professor helps me to make a point that needs making over and again. It was made in the long ago by God to Samuel who according to many was the epitome of the consummate prophet. Notice 1 Samuel 16:7:

But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Here is the religious intellectual's statement:

"These young people may be lost to -------forever. They follow the conventions of ------dress and custom because they are required to do so by law, but inside their hearts are hollow and cynical. We are losing an entire generation of unbelievers in our zeal to force conformity." **

The Harvard professor is quoting an Islamic intellectual from Iran. The blanks in the quote are Islam. They could be members of any number of Christian denomination's and sub groups.

Now that I have your attention, or condemnation, I move on to the point, the point being that I have more trouble with my heart than I do choosing what clothes to wear in order to be successful. I doubt that I would impress many power people, religious or otherwise if I were to wear a HartMarx blue pin stripe suit, white shirt, simulated hand painted tie, black wing tips and white sweat socks. To those of you who know, I can see the smile. I wonder how I will impress the Lord if I change the socks to black, but under the suit etc, my heart is as black as the socks?

It is much more involved to have a serious change of heart than it is to merely change socks and fit some sort of mold. For almost fifty years my heart has caused more trouble for me than anything I do or do not wear. And to use my J. Vernon McGee draw I must admit that my own heart has brought more grief to me than the censure of any group due to outward appearance as I noticed early on in my Christian walk that clothing that pleased one group infuriated another. So I work on the heart. And this is not to claim that I always feel right way down deep where it counts. I wish changing my socks would cause a change in my heart and warm me toward God and His people. It would be so much easier. Lord, work on my heart in 2011.

Solomon commented on this in Proverbs 4:23:

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

So, wear what you like, or must, but above all be careful about your heart.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2011 Use with credit.

**From "What Good Is God" Philip Yancey pg 131

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