Christian Living

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Wednesday 1-4-12

During the maddening time of year we call The Christmas Season the Great Blonde and I went to ISU to watch a professional touring team perform Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The performance was exquisite. Dickens left a number of stories and statements that live on. One such is this grand line:

“Have a heart that never hardens, a tongue that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.”

I have made the choice to use this line as a partial guideline for the year of our Lord 2012. I do this because observationally and experientially that myself and the people of Christ are in the grip of hardened and calloused hearts, sharp, biting even hateful tongues and greedy often out of line sledge hammer touches are the mark of our time.

According to Jesus we speak and act in accordance with the true current condition of our heart. Notice Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,” An anonymous writer scribed, “The hand only reaches for what the heart desires.”

The premise of this piece is simple; I will not waste time on controlling sarcastic tongue or a hand that is overly heavy, but by God’s grace I will fully yield my heart to the control of God’s Holy Word and Spirit. Jesus taught the tongue and the actions are controlled by a heart that is controlled by Satan, self or the Spirit of God. Number three is the only good controller.

Larry Lilly Copyright © 2012 Use with Credit.
Check out my new book Outrageous Forgiveness in 30 Days

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