Why be tender-hearted?

I have not always appreciated that God has created me to be a sensitive person, when you are a young boy this is not a trait highly valued by your peers. I have seen that being sensitive means that God has grace me with a sensitivity to His Spirit, which allows Him to minister healing to many broken hearts. In Ephesians 4:32 the Word says, "Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you." The Holy Spirit is telling us through Paul that walking in the Spirit will result in being tender-hearted and kind to one another. In Proverbs 4:23 God is telling us through Solomon to guard our hearts because out of it flow the springs of life. I realize that there are times where I have allowed a hardness to build up in my heart because I reacted after the flesh towards someone or towards the Spirit. I find when a hardness (rebellion) builds up that I am not as responsive to the Spirit, I am not getting my needs met from God, and I will tend to continue reacting after the flesh. "Blessed is the man who reverently and wonderfully fears [the Lord] at all times but he who hardens his hearts will fall into calamity." -Proverbs 28:14. Now I see there is a process of (just as James 1:14-15) being drawing away from our daily abiding in the Vine, it doesn't just "happen". When I begin to develop a hardness of heart, I also see that I fail to recognize sin for what it is and begin to justify not moving in love. Since in the New Covenant we are given a new heart (Ezekiel 36:25-26), we need to learn how to live from this new heart united to Christ. I recently was subtly confronted by my mentor that I had been walking after the flesh and was in idolatry, I was offended at first when he challenged me to repent. Then as I looked over my week I began to see the pattern of where I had been drawn away from living in Him. As I allowed the Spirit to bring about repentance my heart was again open to worshipping Him in tenderness and love. I had been frustrated earlier in the week that my needs were not getting met and I began to feel a sadness/hurt inside. Since I spent much of my childhood alone and didn't learn how to share my deep inner world, the Lord is teaching me how to keep the temple (our Body) filled with the Holy Spirit and not other things. It is amazing to me when my heart has a hardness how much easier it is to be selfish, be harsh with someone, or resists the Spirit's leading. Looking at the Proverbs 28:14 verse from New Covenant lenses, we have the Spirit of Christ in us who does fear/reverence the Father. We don't have to try to produce fear of the Lord, Christ is in us but we can go back to our old ways "in Adam" and try to do life independent of the Spirit within us. I have to admit there is part of me that doesn't want the authority to choose to stay tender-hearted, the seed of the flesh wants to be lazy and say why can't I just flow through life. I am reminded by the Lord that we are at war, the Kingdom of God is colliding with the kingdom of Darkness. I was reminded of this yesterday when I was tired but trying to play with my kids by having a water balloon fight, then the doorbell rings and there stand two 18-20 year old Mormon missionaries. I have already described a little bit of my heart condition this week, part of me was ready to do battle and the other part was just generally irritated. I began to engage in some discussion, trying to hold our dog back from licking them to death. I could feel myself being a little nervous, angry, and then being reminded that love is what triumphs. So after a short time of challenging their assumptions based on the Book of Mormon, I asked to pray for them. They both look a surprised and even took a step back. They asked I pray for success in their ministry (which there is no way in Hell I would pray for), so I prayed for truth to be revealed, their protection, and that the love of God be shown to them. I am telling you this to reveal that I was definitely at a vulnerable time and here comes the kingdom of darkness seeking to invade, coincidence? I think not. We are at war, if we forgot this the struggle seems meaningless and we will seek the world's way of wanting things to be easy. I am thankful for this wake up call by the Lord to show me more about His Kingdom. So be tender-hearted, the Spirit of Jesus within you is always tender-hearted but we will yield to Him or go or own way Today.

In His Grace,
Bret