Title A tender heart
Contents
Hymn: 400 “The Discipline of the Cross for Your Truth”/Meditation: Grant us a tender heart./Confession of Faith: Apostles’ Creed/Text: Matthew 13:8
Word: The Bible says, “Receive with meekness the way of service that will save your souls” (James 1:21). It is to be gentle in our hearts to receive the word sown in us.
It is difficult for life to grow in hard and hard places. Life grows in soft places. Richard Shipps, a Puritan theologian active in the 17th century, argued that a tender heart has three elements.
First, the heart is sensitive to God. It is a heart with a keen sense of sin and spiritual things. The senses are living proof. Look at the testimonies of God's people and their lives who have truly met the Lord. I am sensitive to God. We believe that if we have little faith, small works will be made, and if we have great faith, we will make great works. It is true that if we have great faith, we will make great works. However, their faith is small and they live the same life as non-believers, not small history. Rather than reacting to God, it feels much easier to respond to the world, and it is easy to make your religious life more formal.
Second, it is docile to enlightenment. He has a docile heart toward the words of God or various realizations coming to his heart. There is nothing to gain from apathy or dryness. This is because the various knowledge we have can only come to life when we are immersed in grace and tenderness.
Mary, who prepared for the Lord's death, poured perfume with her enlightenment to prepare for the Lord's death, but Judas Iscariot, who had no understanding, rebuked it. I said why are you wasting it. Even though the Lord had spoken of His death, the disciples did not understand, but Mary knew the Lord's death.
Third, we do not resist the truth. I do not resist all truth. And they are willing to accept the impressions they make. I don't think it's just a biblical story. We accept the truth with meekness and believe that the word is still true today. We do not oppose the truth with excuses or other things.
The Bible says, “As we are, we also have the gospel preached, but the words they heard did not benefit them, because those who hear them do not unite their faith” (Hebrews 4:2). Even if you hear the same words, if you have a heart that resists the truth, the words are of no use.
Prayer: Help me to be sensitive to your Word, to be docile to understanding, and not to resist the truth I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
Lord's Prayer