Heart: the radical region of life - Chambers, Oswald
Chapter X Heart: the radical region of life
The Radiator of Personal Life
1. Voluntary
(a) Determination (exodus 35:21; Esther 7:5; Ecclesiastes 8:11; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Romans 6:17)
(b) Design (1 kings 8:1718; 10:2; psalm 21:2; proverbs 6:18; Isaiah 10:7; acts 11:23; Romans 10:1)
2. Versatility
(a) Perception (Deuteronomy 29:4; proverbs 14:10; Isaiah 32:4; acts 16:14)
(b) Meditation (Nehemiah 5:7; luke 2:19; Isaiah 33:18; psalm 49:3; psalm 19:14) t his includes deliberation and reflection.
(c)Estimation (proverbs 16:1, 9; 19:21; psalm 33:1011
(d) inclination (Deuteronomy 32:46; Joshua 24:23; Deuteronomy 11:18; proverbs 3:3)
3. Virtues and vices
(a) All degrees of joy (Isaiah 65:14; 66:5; acts 2:46)
(b) All degrees of pain (proverbs 25:20; psalm 109:22; acts 21:13; john 16:6)
(c) All degrees of ill-will (proverbs 23:17; Deuteronomy 19:6; acts 7:54; james 3:14)
A radiator is a body that emits rays of light and heat. We have used a purely mechanical term in order to picture what the heart is, viz. , the center that emits rays of light and heat in the physical frame, in the soul, and in the spirit. The heart physically is the cen- tre of the body; the heart sentimentally is the center of the soul; and the heart spiritually is the centre of the spirit. By voluntary we mean acting by choice; choice is made in the heart, not in the head.
By versatility we mean the power to turn easily from one thing to another. By virtues we mean moral excellencies; by vices, immoral conduct.
1. Voluntary
The bible reveals that the power of choice springs from the heart, and there are two things to be looked at, determination and design.
(a) Determination
But god be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. (Romans 6:17; see also exodus 35:21)
these passages are typical of many which prove that the act of choice is in the heart, not in the brain. Impulse in anyone but a child is dangerous; it is the sign of something unstable and unreliable. Determination means to fix the form of our choice, and god demands that we use this power when we pray. The majority of us waste our time in mere impulses in prayer. There are many verses in gods book which refer to this power in the heart to choose voluntarily. Impulse is not choice; impulse is very similar to instinct in an animal. It is the characteristic of immaturity and ought not to characterise men and women. In spiritual matters take it as a safe guide never to be guided by impulse; always take time and curb your impulse, bring it back and see what form a choice based on that particular impulse would take.
Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ that means the harnessing of impulse. We have the power in our hearts to fix the form of our choice either for good or for bad. No wonder the bible says, keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. We never get credit spiritually for impulsive giving. If suddenly we feel we should give a shilling to a poor man, we get no credit from god for giving it, there is no virtue in it what- ever. As a rule, that sort of giving is a relief to our feelings; it is not an indication of a generous character, but rather an indication of a lack of generosity. God never estimates what we give from impulse. We are given credit for what we determine in our hearts to give; for the giving that is governed by a fixed determination. The spirit of god revolutionises our philanthropic instincts. Much of our philanthropy is simply the impulse to save ourselves an uncomfortable feeling. The spirit of god alters all that. As saints our attitude towards giving is that we give for Jesus Christs sake, and from no other motive. God holds us responsible for the way we use this power of voluntary choice.
(b) Design design means planning in outline.
Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house unto my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart. (1 kings 8:18)
This is a typical instance of the fact that god gives us credit, not for our impulses, but for the designs of our hearts. God may never allow the design to be carried out, but he credits us with it. When we have had a good dinner and feel remarkably generous, we say, if only i had a thousand pounds, what i would do with it! We do not get credit for that until what we do with what we have is considered. The proof that the design for the thousand pounds would be worked out is what we do with the twopence-halfpenny 10 we have. David planned in his heart what he would do for god, and although he was not allowed to carry it out, god credited him with having the design in his heart. God deals with the designs of our hearts, either for good or for bad. Character is the whole trend of a mans life, not isolated acts here and there, and god deals with us on the line of character building. Remember, then, that we have the power to fix the form of our choice. Delight thyself also in the lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Desire embraces both determination and design. Some people when they read this verse, behave before god as people do over a wishing-bone at a Christmas dinner. They say, now i have read this verse, i wonder what shall i wish for? That is not desire. Desire is what we determine in outline in our minds and plan and settle in our hearts; that is the desire which god will fulfill as we delight ourselves in him.
2. Versatility
Versatility is the power to turn from one thing to another; in the natural world it is called humour.11 the power to turn from one thing to another is due to a sense of proportion. A self-righting lifeboat gives the idea. Sin destroyed this power in the people of god. Read psalm 106: we have sinned with our fathers. How did they sin? They forgot what god had done in the past, they had no power to turn from their present trying circumstances to the time when their circumstances were not trying, consequently they sinned against god by unbelief. We have the power to turn from deep anguish to deep joy: o my god, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will i remember thee. . . . Some people take on the characteristic of always being merry and think they must always keep up that role. Others take on the role of being great sufferers, and never turn from it.
In the life of our lord we find the basal balance of this power; look also at pauls argument in Romans 8:28: and we know that to them that love god all things work together for good (RV). We have to take the all things when put together, not in bits. If your circumstances are trying just now, remember the time when they were not trying, and you will be surprised at the self-righting power in the human heart to turn from one thing to another. How much misery a human heart can stand, and how much joy! If we lose the power of turning from one to the other, we upset the balance. Gods spirit restores and keeps the balance right.
(a) Perception
. . . An heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear . . . (Deuteronomy 29:4; see also proverbs 14:10) perception means the power to discern what we hear and see and read; the power to discern the history of the nation to which we belong, the power to discern in our personal lives. This power is also in the heart. How many of us have the power to hear with our ears? Jesus said, he that hath ears to hear, let him hear. We must have the power of perception in order to interpret what we hear. Isaiah 53:1 (mg) puts it in this way: who hath believed that which we have heard? And to whom hath the arm of the lord been revealed? We all see the common occurrences of our daily life, but which of us is able to perceive the arm of the lord behind them? Who can perceive behind the thunder the voice of god? We read in john 12 that when there came a voice out of heaven, the people that stood by said it thundered; but jesus recognised his fathers voice. The one had perception, the others had not. The light which smote Saul of tarsus on the way to damascus staggered and amazed the men who journeyed with him, but they heard not the voice; Saul knew it to be the lord and answered, who art thou, lord? The one had the power of perception, the oth- ers had not. The characteristic of a man without the spirit of god is that he has no power of perception, he cannot perceive god at work in the ordinary occurrences. The marvellous, uncrushable characteristic of a saint is that he does discern god. You may put a saint in tribulation, amid an onslaught of principalities and powers, in peril, pestilence or under the sword, you may put a saint anywhere you like, and he is more than conqueror every time. Why? Because his heart being filled with the love of god, he has the power to perceive and understand that behind all these things is god making them work together for good.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity. This does not mean keep my eyes shut, but, give me the power to direct my eyes aright. A sheet of white paper can be soiled, a sunbeam cannot be soiled, and god keeps his saints like light. Oh, the power of full or bed righteousness! Thank god for the sanity of his salvation! He takes hold of our hearts and our heads!
(b) Meditation
Meditation means getting to the middle of a thing; not being like a pebble in a brook letting the water of thought go over us; that is reverie, not meditation. Meditation is an intense spiritual activity, it means bringing every bit of the mind into harness and concentrating its powers; it includes both deliberation and reflection. Deliberation means being able to weigh well what we think, conscious all the time that we are deliberating and meditating. My heart consulted in me (Nehemiah 5:7 mg)that is exactly the meaning of meditation; also but Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:19 RV mg).
A great many delightful people mistake meditation for prayer; meditation often accompanies prayer, but it is not prayer, it is simply the power of the natural heart to get to the middle of things. Prayer is asking, whereby god puts processes to work and creates things which are not in existence until we ask. It is not that god withholds, but he has so constituted things on the ground of redemption that they cannot be given until we ask. Prayer is definite talk to god, around which god puts an atmosphere, and we get answers back. Meditation has a reflex action; men without an ounce of the spirit of god in them can meditate, but that is not prayer. This fundamental distinction is frequently obscured. Mary pondered these things in her heart, i. E. , she meditated on them, got right to the centre of the revelations about her son, but as far as we know, she did not utter a word to anyone. But read st. Johns gospel, and a wonder will occur to you. St. Augustine has called johns gospel the heart of Jesus Christ. Recall what Jesus said to his mother about john: woman, behold, thy son! And to john about Mary, behold, thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home. It is surely quite legitimate to think that Marys meditations found marvel- lous expression to john under the guidance of the spirit of god, and found a place in his gospel and epistles.
(c) Estimation
The preparations of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the lord . (proverbs 16:1; see also verse 9)
To estimate means to reckon the value. Estimates are made in the heart, and god alters our estimates. To put it practically those of you who have received gods spirit and know his grace experimentally, watch how he has altered your estimate of things. It used to matter a lot what your worldly crowd thought about you: how much does it matter now? You used to estimate highly the good opinion of certain people: how do you estimate it now? You used to estimate that immoral conduct was the worst crime on earth, but how do you estimate it now? We are horrified at immoral conduct in social life, but how many of us are as horrified at pride as Jesus Christ was? Do we begin to understand what Jesus meant when he used such words as ye are like unto whited sepulchres, or, ye offspring of vipers (RV )? To whom was he talking? To the scribes and pharisees! God alters our estimates, and we shall find that god gives us a deeper horror of carnality than ever we had of immorality; a deeper horror of the pride which lives clean amongst men but lifts itself against god, than of any other thing. Pride is the central citadel of independence of god. God will also alter our estimate of honour. Every man has an honour of some sort; a thief has an hon- our, a gambling man has an honour, everybody has an honour of some kind. Jesus Christ had an honour; they called him a man gluttonous, and a winebibber; they said he was beside himself ; hath a devil, and he never opened his mouth. He made himself of no reputation. But once let his fathers honour be touched and all was different. Watch his first public ministry in jerusalema scourge of small cords in his hands overturning the money changers tables, and driving men and cattle out! Where is the meek and mild and gentle Jesus now? His fathers honour was at stake. Our estimate of honour measures our growth in grace. What we stand up for proves what our char- acter is like. If we stand up for our reputation it is a sign it needs standing up for! God never stands up for his saints, they do not need it. The devil tells lies about men, but no slander on earth can alter a mans character. Once let gods honour be slandered, and instantly there is something else to deal with in your meek saint. You cannot arouse him on his own account, but once begin to slander god and a new sense of honour is awakened, a new estimate has been put in. God enables us to have the right perspective, to come to the place where we understand that the things which are seen are temporal, and to estimate them accordingly and hold a right scale of judgement.
3. Virtues and vices
(a) all degrees of joy (Isaiah 65:14; 66:5) the bible talks plentifully about joy, but it nowhere speaks about a happy christian. Happiness depends
On what happens; joy does not. Remember, Jesus Christ had joy, and he prays that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I want to give one warning concerning christian science. There is no objection to what christian science does to peoples bodies, but there is a tremendous objection to its effect on peoples minds. Its effect on peoples minds is to make them intolerably indifferent to physical suffering, and in time it produces the antipodes of the christian character, viz. , a hardness and callousness of heart.
All degrees of joy reside in the heart. How can a christian be full of happiness (if happiness depends on the things that happen) when he is in a world where the devil is doing his best to twist souls away from god, where people are tortured physically, where some are downtrodden and do not get a chance? It would be the outcome of the most miserable selfishness to be happy under such conditions; but a joyful heart is never an insult, and joy is never touched by external conditions. Beware of preaching the gospel of temperament instead of the gospel of god. Num- bers of people to-day preach the gospel of temperament, the gospel of cheer up. The word blessed is sometimes translated happy, but it is a much deeper word; it includes all that we mean by joy in its full fruition. Happiness is the characteristic of a child, and god condemns us for taking happiness out of a childs life; but as men and women we should have done with happiness long ago, we should be facing the stern issues of life, knowing that the grace of god is sufficient for every problem the devil can present.
(b) All degrees of pain
. . . . As vinegar upon nitre, so is he that singeth songs to an heavy heart. (proverbs 25:20)
This is simply what has been stated alreadypreach- ing the gospel of temperament, the gospel of cheer up, when a person cannot cheer up; telling him to look on the bright side of things when there is no bright side. It is as ridiculous as telling a jelly-fish to listen to one of handels oratorios, it would have to be made over again first. It is just as futile to tell a man convicted of sin to cheer up; what he needs is the grace of god to alter him and put in him the well-spring of joy. Pain exists in the heart and nowhere else. We try to measure pain in the aggregate; but we cannot. When hundreds are killed in a great accident, we are horrified, much more horrified than when one man is killed. There is no such thing as pain in the mass, pain is individual; nobody can feel more pain than the acme of nerves will give, and the more physical expression there is in pain, the less pain there is. It is by refusing to estimate things in their right light that we misun- derstand the direction of pain.
(c) All degrees of ill-will (proverbs 23:17;
Deuteronomy 19:6; acts 7:54; James 3:14)
The deepest-rooted passion in the human soul is vengeance. Drunkenness, sensuality, and covetousness go deep, but not so deep as vengeance. Some such thought as this explains Judas; it says that he kissed him much (mark 14:45 RV mg). We read of the remorse of Judas, but there was no repentance in it; the end of his life was reached, there was nothing more to live for. There are records of men committing murder after a long line of vengeance and then dying of a bro- ken heart, not because they are penitent, but because there was nothing more to live for.
Vengeance is the most deeply rooted passion in the human soul, and the impersonation of it is the devil. The devil has an absolute detestation of god, an immortal hatred of god. Satans sin is at the sum- mit of all sins; our sin is at the base of all sins. If sin has not reached its awful height in us, it may do so unless we let god alter the springs of our heart. Thank god he does alter the heart, and when his new life is in our heart, we can work it out through our head and express it in our lives.