The Masterpiece

"Teach me your ways, O LORD,

that I may live according to your truth!

Grant me purity of heart,

so that I may honor you.

With all my heart I will praise you, O Lord my God.

I will give glory to your name forever,

for your love for me is very great.

You have rescued me from the depths of death."

Psalm 86:11-13 NLT

I have never understood gun-control laws.  I am not a gun enthusiast or a hunter.  In fact, I have never fired a gun in my life.  What I don't understand, however, is the concept that guns kill people.  If that were the case, I would be all for banning guns from the face of the earth.

The fact of the matter is that people kill people, and even if guns did not exist, people bent on killing will find a way to kill.  The problem is not the weapon . . . the problem is the heart.

It's the same with God's ways.  If I try to do what I think I should do according to His Word, I will probably fail.  As Joni Eareckson Tada said, "No tool, in and of itself, has great importance.  But placed in the proper hands it can create a masterpiece."  

If I allow God to teach me His ways using the tools he chooses to use in my life (trials, tests, difficulties. . . ), then He will create a masterpiece.  

When I am frustrated by the lack of progress in my spiritual walk, the problem is not the truth I find in the Bible. . . the problem is my heart.

Purity of Heart

During the refining process, gold is subjected to high temperatures and caustic agents in order to remove impurities.  God does the same thing with my heart so that He can remove everything that gets in the way of focusing on Him: Pride, lust, selfish ambition, envy, jealousy, etc.

To discover the location of my heart, I need only figure out what is important to me.  Jesus said, ". . .where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."  (Luke 12:34)  Do I value making myself look good?  Am I concerned with defending my position?  Is rising to the top of the corporate ladder my goal in life?  Or do I strive to obtain all the things I ever wanted so that I can live comfortably, thinking that, after all I deserve it.   I've worked hard my whole life!

The New International Version uses the phrase "undivided heart" in Psalm 86:11.  My heart is constantly carved up between different desires.  Sure, I want to please God, but I also want to have what my friend has, or enjoy a comfortable life that satisfies my desires, or be the best in my field.  My heart is divided.

The only heart that honors God is a pure, undivided heart.  And the only way my heart will be purified is if I put it in the Master's hands for purification.  As David said in Psalm 51:10 NLT, "Create in me a clean heart, O God.  Renew a loyal spirit within me."

How is God attempting to purify my heart through circumstances in my life?  Am I submitting to His purification process?

Wholeheartedness  

The Pharisees, Sadducees and Teachers of the Law during Jesus time were always trying to trip Him up, testing Him time and again.  One smart little fellow tried to trap him with this question.  "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" (Matthew 22:36)  He was probably snickering to himself as he thought of the impossibility of answering that query.

Then Jesus blew his mind while revealing the crux of the Law.  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (v37)

Wholeheartedness leaves no room for insincerity.  A heart wholly committed to God is open, truthful and not at all hypocritical.  If I truly want to worship God in the way I live my life, I can't hide things from Him.  I can't pretend everything is okay when in reality I am struggling.  I can't hold back my feelings from Him, thinking that it will anger Him or that He'll be disappointed.  He wants my whole heart. . . scars and all!

There's no sense hiding things from a God who knows me better than I know myself. . .and loves me anyway! 

Tender Heart

In order to enjoy a tender and succulent steak, some tenderizing is necessary for most cuts of meat.  The meat fibers can be broken down physically, by using a mallet, or chemically with a marinade.  Either way, tough muscle fibers need to be broken apart so that the finished product will turn out juicy and tender.

This is not much different than my heart.  Even though I cannot take a meat mallet to my heart, I can work to break down some of the muscle fibers; the things that make me think I'm pretty strong in myself.  

Some of these "muscle fibers" include my pride which makes me want to be right all the time, or my sense of independence, or my desire to look good to others.   Holding on to these attitudes and desires can drive me to try to impress God with a holy life instead of laying myself before Him as a broken and contrite offering.

David said it well in Psalm 51:16-17 (MSG).  He was at a place in his life where he had realized the great sin he had committed against God and he was suddenly aware of the hardness of his own heart.  He said, "Going through the motions doesn't please you, a flawless performance is nothing to you.  I learned God-worship when my pride was shattered.  Heart-shattered lives ready for love don't for a moment escape God's notice."

Just as a tenderized steak is juicy and succulent to the taste buds, so is a broken and contrite heart a joy to our Father.  Only then will I be able to truly receive the great love God has for me.

A hardened heart cannot receive the gift of love God has bestowed upon me.

I can try to do what I think I should do on my own, or I can place myself in the Masters hands and allow him to purify my heart, give me the courage to be completely open and honest with Him, and tenderize my heart.  Only then will His love saturate my being, changing my life forever.  

God can create a masterpiece out of the most hopeless of lives. . . if only He is given the chance.  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will trust God enough to give Him my heart.

How do I hold feelings back from God, mistakenly thinking He won't love me anymore if He knows the truth?

What divides my heart and keeps it from being completely devoted to God?

 

Give a Gift

"On coming to the house,

 they saw the child with his mother Mary,

and they bowed down and worshiped him.

Then they opened their treasures and

presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh."

Matthew 2:11

The news of the shootings, stabbings, pepper spray attacks and brawls circulated across the country.  Was this some kind of demonstration gone bad, or a prison riot?  No, these were incidents that happened on Black Friday, the first official shopping day of the Christmas season.

Gift giving is a big part of the American holiday experience, leading some to resort to violence in an effort to snag the best possible gifts.  But why do we give?  On, or shortly after, that first Christmas over 2000 years ago, a group of magi from the east appeared to worship the Messiah.  The gifts they presented were chosen carefully and not the result of a frenzied shopping spree.  Rather, they were symbols of who they believed this child to be.

Gold  The first gift was to show their respect for the King of kings.  According to the prophecy found in Isaiah 9:7, "He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever."  That's like no king we've ever seen before!  Gold is given not because a king needs it, but because a reigning king is worthy of the finest gift that can be found.  Am I giving my very best to Jesus, my King?

Frankincense  When the Israelites made sacrifices to the Lord, an offering of grain could be chosen as a memorial, or remembrance, offering.  "And when any will offer a meat offering unto the LORD, his offering shall be of fine flour; and he shall pour oil upon it, and put frankincense thereon:  And he shall bring it to Aaron's sons the priests: and he shall take thereout his handful of the flour thereof, and of the oil thereof, with all the frankincense thereof; and the priest shall burn the memorial of it upon the altar, to be an offering made by fire, of a sweet savour unto the LORD." (Leviticus 2:1-2  KJV)  This offering, given freely as a way to demonstrate to God the giver's attention to God's commandments, is received by God as an aroma pleasing to Him.  The wise men gave the gift of Frankincense as a show of worship and devotion to the living God.  Am I living my life out of worship of, devotion to and reverence for God and His commandments?

Myrrh  This aromatic resin harvested from certain trees was an ingredient utilized in fragrant perfumes and was often used as an embalming agent.  This gift was symbolic of the sacrifice Jesus was making in entering into His own creation and ultimately laying down his life.  "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)    The purpose for Jesus' birth into a sinful world is clear.  "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." (John 3:17)   The gift of myrrh was given as a reminder of the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus.  Do I keep my Savior's unspeakable sacrifice at the forefront of my thoughts?

It is easy to get caught up in the materialism of the American Christmas.  But my prayer is that this Christmas, every activity I choose, every cookie I bake, every carol I sing, will be done with a purpose in mind.  Just as the wise men brought gifts which symbolized the position, power and purpose of Jesus, let me live my life in such a way that brings honor to Him.  

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that this Christmas season will be a time used to honor the sacrifice Jesus made in coming down into a sinful world in order to save me from that sin.

How am I holding a low view of Christmas, allowing it to become only about the presents, parties and decorations?

Where am I demeaning the memory of the birth of Christ?