17 ‘You shall not hate your fellow countryman in your heart; you may surely reprove your neighbor, but shall not incur sin because of him. 18 ‘You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD.
“What I think of him is no one’s business by mine and mine alone!”
“As long as I’m not hurting anyone, it doesn’t really matter how I feel about anyone, does it?”
Have you ever thought these types of thoughts? The one inviolable space that each of us owns, and that no one else can lay a claim to, is our hearts. It’s the place where we do our feeling, thinking, and deciding. What comes out of our mouths (or keyboards) may or may not be in true conformity to the reality of what we’re thinking in our hearts. Our faces can conceal truth to the degree that only the most astute observer can detect incongruity between our words and our faces—but no one can truly get into our hearts. No one, that is, but God. Not only does the Almighty have the power to know our most intimate thoughts, but He also claims the right to be obeyed in our most inner sanctuaries—our hearts. Despite external appearances, or even words—He knows the truth of what we think of our brothers and sisters. He knows our motives, and can clearly see when we are being “painfully honest,” and enjoying the painfully part of it more than the honest part. So, in the community of belief, of faith—grudges are to be routinely discarded like the trash. They are not to be given asylum in our hearts, but instead are to be replaced with actions and words of love. Why go to the trouble of such exacting inner scrutiny and righteousness where no one can see? Simply because there is One who can see, and has a right to demand that He not see grudges and hatred in the place that He has claimed for Himself alone—our hearts. A community that lives by such standards will find peace and security as its members discover the joy of true, lasting, secure friendships.
downtownpastor