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HEALING
FOR A HARD HEART Introduction:
We live in a world where it's so easy to become callused and
indifferent. We are bombarded daily with news of tragedies, violent acts,
and suffering people. As a result you can find hard hearted unforgiving
people everywhere in our society and their hardness has made them cynical
and merciless. Jesus said the merciful shall receive mercy. This clearly
stands out against the harshness of our society. In fact, God says in (Eph
4:32) "And be ye kind one to
another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's
sake hath forgiven you." Do you find it difficult to follow such a command? Sometimes it's
tough. It's so easy to get a hard heart. But Jesus knew the value of
mercy. It brings great blessing to all. We need a little more tenderness
and mercy in our society today. We have to admit that sometimes other
people really get under our skin. They aggravate us, offend us, and we
become hard toward them. We know we should not feel this way, but we do.
We know that we ought to forgive them, but we just want to nuke them
instead. Our hearts have become hard. The problem is that we are the
losers in this scenario. If we do not show mercy, no mercy will be shown
to us. James 2:13 reads, "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and
mercy rejoiceth against judgment." Judgment will be merciless to
one who has shown no mercy and mercy always triumphs over judgment. When
we show no mercy, we are the losers in terms of God's mercy. What are some
practical steps we can take to develop a little more tenderness? How can
we develop a merciful spirit? How can we be, as the Scripture exhorts us,
more tender-hearted, kind, and forgiving? I.
PONDER OUR PERSPECTIVE
A.
From Ground Level Sometimes
we are too busy for people to be very important. We are caught up with our
goals, our projects. We see ourselves as busy people, always behind,
working hard to get things done. In the hustle of busy lives it is easy to
see people as either road blocks or stepping stones. It's too often easy
to evaluate them in terms of whether they fit into our plans or not. It is
exceedingly difficult to see people as individually important and valuable
to God. It's easier to neatly categorize them by whatever stereotypes are
convenient for us. But the truth is that God loves every one. Even those
that we think are losers are important to God.
B.
From God’s Level All
people are special in God's eyes. The waitress who serves your dinner and
the check-out girl in the supermarket, so is the person who has offended
you, or hurt you, or made you angry. (Illus: Have you ever stood in a
crowd of people at some event? Around you is a collection of races and
ethnic cultures, some well-dressed and some poorly dressed, clean and
grungy, old and young, loud and quiet. Some you would sit next to, others
you want to stay away from). Do you realize that each one of these people
has a life, goals, and dreams? Each one is a special person to God. Each
one is as important to God as you or me. We need to pray, "God, let
me see them through your eyes." Seeing as God sees can be a giant
step toward a merciful, tender-hearted, and forgiving attitude. II.
SCRUTINIZE OUR SENSITIVITY Seeing
with God's eyes is an important step in the right direction. We must have
the right perspective. Another equally important step is to learn how to
feel as others feel - to develop real sensitivity. This can be done
through:
A.
True Consideration If we
are to be merciful, forgiving people, we must learn how to empathize with
others. We must climb into their situation and learn to feel as they feel.
It is so easy to stand off from someone else and pass judgment concerning
their situation - so easy to tell someone else what they need to do,
especially when you haven't lived through their situation yourself. There
is something about going through the hard time for yourself, however, that
gives you a different perspective. True, we cannot experience everything
life deals out. But we can make an honest attempt to consider what it
would be like if we were in that situation. (Illus: How do you suppose it
feels to be handicapped, to be unemployed, divorced, depressed, and full
of despair?) The point is that we need to learn to walk a mile or two in
their shoes. Once we do, we might find it easier to show some
tender-hearted love and genuine forgiveness. When we feel as they feel, we
might understand why they act and react as they do. True consideration and
understanding; that is all people really need.
B.
Tender Compassion (Illus:
The young woman speaks. 'Will my mouth always be like this?' She asks.
'Yes,' I say, 'it will. It is because the nerve was cut.' She nods and is
silent. But the young man smiles. 'I like it,' he says. 'It is kind of
cute.' Unmindful, he bends to kiss her crooked mouth, and I am so close, I
can see how he twists his own lips to accommodate to hers, to show her
that their kiss still works." True understanding and tender love -
there is no substitute. This is the stuff of real mercy. III.
READY RESPONSE We must
have perspective, sensitivity and there must also be a response. What we
are talking about is seeing as God sees others, feeling as others feel,
and to: A.
React By Doing
Simply
love others as Christ loves us. Again the passage in Ephesians exhorts us
to treat others as Christ has treated us. How has Christ treated us? Well,
He has always treated us with kindness, with tenderness, with mercy, and
with forgiveness. (Titus 3:5) "Not
by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy
he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy
Ghost;" Ephesians
2:4-5 reads, "But God, who is
rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, {5} Even when we
were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye
are saved;)" He has always had time for us. He has always
listened to us. His forgiveness was made possible because of His love. If
we ever learn to show mercy, it will be because we learn to love as Christ
loves. (Illus: Just think of what would happen if we were to do this).
Mercy is meeting people's needs. It is not simply a warm feeling toward
someone. Mercy is something we do. Jesus said, "Be merciful, just as
your Father is merciful." (Luke 6:36)
B.
Recognize The Danger There
is, of course, some risk in living this way. Some are afraid that they
will be hurt if they truly love others. (Illus: Read attached C. S. Lewis
address). Yes, there is a danger in loving, but there is a greater danger
in not loving. The danger is that your heart grows hard and unforgiving.
You become bitter and sour of spirit. If you want to be able to break the
shell of hardness which grows around your heart, you must choose to love
others. If you do not, you will never be able to forgive others. You will
never be able to show mercy. Conclusion:
May we become those whose lives are characterized by showing mercy,
because we need mercy, because others need mercy, and because Jesus was
the embodiment of mercy. Remember, as Jesus hung there on the Cross, He
said, "…Father, forgive them;
for they know not what they do…" We need to be merciful because
we need to be like Jesus.
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