Jesus’ baptism and John’s declaration (bonus post)
I know it isn’t the Christmas season, but the story of The Grinch has been on my mind. I have been thinking about this story because of the attitude that is prevalent in this tale of a greenish-yellow cartoon character that seems to be living in the hearts of even Christian individuals.
In the original story, The Grinch is a mean-tempered guy. His aim in life is to destroy Christmas. He sets out to steal everything in Whoville. His dog, Max, accompanies him on his journey on Christmas eve, and they gather everything relating to the holiday from the residents of Whoville.
The Whos believe that The Grinch’s problem is that he has a heart that is “two sizes too small.” In the original story, there is no explanation for this condition, and the Whos accept this as the kind of person he is.
At some point, The Grinch decides that there is a deeper meaning to this holiday celebrated by the Whos, and he stops the Whos’ belongings from falling off the edge of the mountain. In the process, his heart grows three sizes. He returns the gifts he stole and takes part in the holiday celebration.
I know this is just a children’s story; but when we think about The Grinch, we remember his bad attitude. We don’t usually think first about his change of heart.
What does that say about us? It says that we usually identify people by their attitude. I’m not saying we don’t recognize a change of heart in people, but we tend to identify people by the attitude with which we are most familiar. Maybe we need to look honestly at our own hearts and determine if our hearts are the right size.
In order to have a heart that is the right size, we need to have a pure heart. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8 ESV). The heart is the seat of affections and understanding (Matthew 13:15); therefore, a pure heart will give us the right kind of attitudes and the love for what is right. Later in His sermon, Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).
Second, our speech must reflect our hearts. Jesus taught, “How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:34-37). Our mouths speak what is really in our hearts.
Third, all manner of evil comes from our hearts. “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person” (Matthew 15:19-20). If our hearts are not the right size and are filled with evil thoughts, only evil actions can be close behind.
Fourth, whether we do good or evil, our actions originate in our hearts. Paul, speaking to the Ephesians, gave instructions to both servants and masters. He summed this up by saying, “Knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free” (Ephesians 6:8). Good has to originate in our hearts. Good deeds must originate in our hearts.
Fifth, we need the peace of God to guard our hears. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). We can’t speak good if we don’t think about good things.
Sixth, we need to rely on the Word of God to direct our hearts. “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The Word will bring out the true thoughts and intents of our hearts.
Last, we need to understand that our hearts reflect the true person we are. Peter, in speaking to the women about subjection to their husbands, gave us some specific instructions about our hearts. He said, “Let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious” (First Peter 3:4). A gentle and quiet spirit will bring about a heart of submission, service, and honor to God our Father.
We want to have a heart, an attitude, of submission to the Father in all things. We don’t need to be known as one with a heart too small, but we should want to be known as one with a heart that is open to honoring God and serving mankind.
Sandra Oliver