Hearts of Flesh

Hypocrisy is one of the most undesirable traits a person can have. Originally it was the word for an actor in ancient Greece, and didn’t carry the negative connotations of dishonesty which it now does. 

Although it’s one of the least desirable traits, and one from which we all would like to be distanced – especially in ourselves, I think it’s very easy for us to be hypocritical in one way or another, to one degree or another. 

Jesus calls us to honesty and truth, the opposites of hypocrisy. While it may be our aim as Christians to be totally honest and truthful, without the Spirit’s help we don’t stand much chance of really being that. 

Paul writes to the Corinthian church that God once gave out a set of rules in the form of commandments written on stone tablets, but that didn’t work. It didn’t work because we are not very good at following rules. Anyone who has raised a child knows that as soon as you say ‘Don’t....’ it becomes the child’s focus to do it.

So God’s tactic changed and after Jesus returned to heaven, he sent the Holy Spirit to, in a sense, be written on the hearts of believers. God had indicated that as a future plan way back thousands of years ago through the prophet Isaiah, when he said that in the last days he would pour out his Spirit on all believers, who would then dream dreams, prophesy, and be full of the knowledge and love of God.

It’s a glorious summer day up here in the northeast of Scotland, and as Dusty and I emerged from the cool shadow of the woods and onto the sunlit path, we found first one wee frog along the path, resting and soaking in the warm sunlight, then another, and finally a third. The last two were hopping around in the long grass, failing to absorb the warmth of the sun which the first wee frog was basking in.

Christians should be like the first frog. Resting in and soaking up the presence of God, not hopping about in our own power, trying to be good, trying to think good thoughts, but deep down, having hearts which still have at least a few pockets of stone which make us judgmental and critical. 

It’s only as we rest in the light of God that our hearts of stone are transformed into hearts of flesh, and our thoughts and impulses match our actions. 

So I’m off to rest in the presence of God for awhile. I don’t want to be a hypocrite with a heart of stone. I want a heart of flesh.