The Applause of Heaven - Max Lucado [31]
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.'
These verses hammer home the same truth: The heart is the center of the spiritual life. If the fruit of a tree is bad, you don't try to fix the fruit; you treat the roots. And if a person's actions are evil, it's not enough to change habits; you have to go deeper. You have to go to the heart of the problem, which is the problem of the heart.
That is why the state of the heart is so critical. What's the state of yours?
When someone barks at you, do you bark back or bite your tongue? That depends on the state of your heart.
When your schedule is too tight or your to-do list too long, do you lose your cool or keep it? That depends on the state of your heart.
When you are offered a morsel of gossip marinated in slander, do you turn it down or pass it on? That depends on the state of your heart.
Do you see the bag lady on the street as a burden on society or as an opportunity for God? That, too, depends on the state of your heart.
The state of your heart dictates whether you harbor a grudge or give grace, seek self-pity or seek Christ, drink human misery or taste God's mercy.
No wonder, then, the wise man begs, "Above all else, guard your heart."
David's prayer should be ours: "Create in me a pure heart, 0 God."
And Jesus' statement rings true: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
Note the order of this beatitude: first, purify the heart, then you will see God. Clean the refinery, and the result will be a pure product.
We usually reverse the order. We try to change the inside by altering the outside. Let me give you an example.
When my family lived in Rio de Janeiro, I owned a ham radio. I kept it in the utility room on top of the freezer. When we traveled, I always unplugged the radio and disconnected the antenna.
Once, when we were leaving for a week-long trip, I remembered I hadn't unplugged the radio. I ran back in the house, pulled the plug, and dashed out again.
But I pulled the wrong plug. I unplugged the freezer. It was summertime, and summer in Rio redefines the word hot. Our apartment was on the top of a fourteen-floor apartment building, which adds another degree of intensity to the word hot. For seven days, then, a freezer full of food sat in a sweltering apartment with the power off. (Why are you groaning?)
When we came home, Denalyn decided to get some meat out of the freezer. As she opened the freezer door-well, I won't go into details as to what she saw, but I will say it was a moving experience.
Guess who got fingered as the one who had unplugged the freezer-and who therefore would be responsible for cleaning it? You got it. So I got to work.
What is the best way to clean out a rotten interior? I knew exactly what to do. I got a rag and a bucket of soapy water and began cleaning the outside of the appliance. I was sure the odor would disappear with a good shine, so I polished and buffed and wiped. When I was through, the freezer could have passed a Marine boot-camp inspection. It was sparkling.
But when I opened the door, that freezer was revolting.
(Are you wondering, "Now what kind of fool would do that?" Read on and you'll see.)
No problem, I thought. I knew what to do. This freezer needs some friends. I'd stink, too, if I had the social life of a machine in a utility room. So, I threw a party. I invited all the appliances from the neighborhood kitchens. It was hard work, but we filled our apartment with refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and washing machines. It was a great party. A couple of toasters recognized each other from the appliance store. Everyone played pin the plug on the socket and had a few laughs about limited warranties. The blenders were the hit, though; they