Heart Revelations
Our character is not revealed just by our actions, but by our reactions. Actions can be planned, but reactions are spontaneous. They give us a glimpse of what’s really in our heart. At that point we can look at it and deal with it. Who of us would readily admit that at times we’re greedy, lustful, controlling or insecure? Or resentful of the blessing of God that’s evident in the lives of others? When the Psalmist prayed, ‘Try me, and know my thoughts’, he was inviting God to create the circumstances that would bring to the surface in him all the ‘junk’ at the bottom of the lake of his subconscious, hidden from view—not only from the eyes of other people but also from his own eyes. Paul writes to the believers in Galatia and says, ‘My dear children! I feel as if I’m going through labour pains for you… and they will continue until Christ is fully developed in your lives.’ (Galatians 4:19 NLT) Note the words ‘until Christ is fully developed in your lives.’ That calls for a re-sensitised conscience and a redirected will. During the reign of Oliver Cromwell the English government ran low on the silver it needed to make coins. So Cromwell sent his men into the cathedrals to search for some. They reported back that the only silver they could find was in the statues of the saints standing in the corners. ‘Good,’ Cromwell reportedly said, ‘let’s melt down the saints and put them into circulation.’ That’s what we need, isn’t it? To be melted by God, filled with His Spirit, and put into circulation.