The Citizen, 2013-08-01, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 1, 2013.
By Pastor Mark Royall
Huron Chapel Evangelical
Missionary Church
Imagine I am holding a full glass
of water in my hand. The cup is full.
The water is right up to the rim.
Then I asked you to shake my arm
holding the glass of water as hard as
you can. What do you think would
happen next? If your answer
involves some variation of you and
me getting soaked, you would be
right.
Here is a question, Why did the
water come out of the glass? I am
going to share the answer with you
later.
There is an old story, a bit of a
parable really, about a couple that
moved into a house that needed
some redecorating. Nothing major
really, new carpet and new paint
would make a huge difference. So
the couple hired a painter to come to
their house, patch the cracks and
paint the walls. When the painter
finished everything looked as good
as new. They happily paid the bill
and thanked the painter for his great
work.
But less than a month later the
cracks started to reappear. Soon,
they were just as obvious as they had
been before. They hired a new
painter to come in and patch the
cracks and paint the walls. The new
painter assessed the problem and
explained to the couple that he could
patch the cracks, but it wouldn’t be
long until the cracks were once again
a problem. He explained, “Your real
problem isn’t a crack in the wall.
Your real problem is the foundation,
and until you address the foundation
the cracks will keep showing up.”
That’s often our approach to
addressing the cracks in our lives.
We want the easy fix. Just patch
them up and paint over them. But
have you noticed... they have a
tendency to come back? We may
forget about them for a few weeks –
but the cracks really haven’t gone
away and they come back and show
up.
The Bible teaches that the
foundation which really needs
attention in your life is your heart. In
fact Proverbs 4:23 says. “Above all
else, guard your heart, for everything
you do flows from it.”
Above All Else…
In other words make your heart
your greatest priority.
To say “above else,” it is quite a
statement to make. Does the heart
warrant that kind of priority in your
life? The Bible is telling us that your
heart isn’t just one of the important
things in your life, it is the important
thing in your life. Should you really
treat your heart like it’s your most
valuable asset or is the Bible being
over dramatic?
We understand what the Bible
means when it speaks of the heart. If
I didn’t perform a task very well and
you asked me, ‘Mark what
happened?” I may respond, “Well
my heart just wasn’t in it,” and you
would know exactly what I meant.
You know that I was telling you that
I had no or little motivation because
the heart represents my desire to act
and achieve. Or if I told you that I
love my wife with all my heart, you
would know what I am trying to tell
you because the heart represents
commitment and desire. Our heart
speaks of what we are
really passionate about. Our heart
talks about what we really care
about.
Your heart defines and determines
who you are, what you care about,
and what you do. Everything flows
from it and so it is no wonder that
your heart is the battleground for
your spiritual life. The battle for
your life takes place in the
battleground of your heart because
this is where you find your
commitment, your motivation,
passion and desire. If the enemy can
get just these things....then he has
everything else.
Everything Flows From it…
The reason the water came out of
the glass wasn’t because you shook
my arm.
The shaking was an event...but the
reason the water came out of the
glass was because there was water in
the glass. Things are shakened all
the time but water doesn’t come out.
What comes out is what is inside.
Whatever is in the glass is going to
come out.
Now get this...whatever is in your
heart will come out. It is impossible
to divorce and separate what is in
your heart and how you live your
life.
Back in the Wisdom teaching part
of the Bible we read this truth, “As
a face is reflected in water, so the
heart reflects the real person”.
Proverbs 27:19.
This is what Jesus taught when He
said, “A good person produces good
things from the treasury of a good
heart, and an evil person produces
evil things from the treasury
of an evil heart. What you say flows
from what is in your heart” Luke
6:45.
Do you know what this tells us? It
is telling us that the heart can be
filled with something. In fact your
heart right now is full of something.
Even what we may call an empty
glass is filled with air. A glass only
containing air would be very
disappointing when you are dry and
thirsty. But if in your great thirst you
find that the glass is filled with your
favourite cool beverage... then
wow...it hits the spot and you are
satisfied.
So it is a problem when we are
filling our hearts with things that
cannot and will not quench our
spiritual thirst for satisfaction in life.
Only God can do this. So why do
we try and pursue other things to fill
our heart? Why don’t we believe
Matthew 6:33 that says, “Seek the
Kingdom of God above all
else (there is that phrase again),
and live righteously, and He
will give you everything you
need.”
Why do we read it, repeat it, we
even sing it, but we can struggle to
live it as a truth from God for our
lives? It is a good question. Is it
because I am too impatient to wait
for God to act? Have I become
addicted to the quick fix and settle
for just patching the cracks in the
walls? Is it a faith issue I am
battling? Do I think God is going to
lead me astray if I put Him above all
else?
In your life you will be shaken.
Things will happen that will rock
your world like an earthquake. And
when you are shaken, whatever is
god of your heart will come
splashing out.
This is why you have seen
Christians have a peace that passes
understanding when they experience
tragedy. They have been shaken and
amazingly the peace of God comes
splashing out.
The Bible promises us, “I will
bless the Lord who guides me; even
at night my heart instructs me. I
know the Lord is always with me. I
will not be shaken,) for He is right
beside me. No wonder my
heart is glad, and I rejoice.” Psalm
16:7-8
God in the heart means rejoicing
in the life. Even when you are
shakened, you will know peace
because the God of peace sits on the
throne of your heart.
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
AUGUST 4 ~ “No Magic Pennies In Till”Speaker Gary Clark
AUGUST 11 ~ “Ready? Or Not?”Speaker Gary Clark
Worship Service & Sunday School at 10 a.m.
Start Building A Better Life
This Sunday @ Huron Chapel
10:30 am every Sunday - www. huronchapel.com
art S
t Buildinar
ng A Be
etter Lif
T
uSsih
@yadn
oruH@
ahCno
lepa
1
T
vema03:01
uSsih
yadnuSyrev
@yadn
h.www-y
oruH@
epahcnoru
ahCno
moc.l
lepa
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, August 4
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
6:30 p.m. service at various locations
for July and August.
Childcare provided for infants and
preschoolers during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
Minister: Pastor Gary Van Leeuwen
BRUSSELS
Sandra Cable, Pastor
Church Office 519-887-6259
E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00 am
Sunday School
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
United Church
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, AUGUST 4
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9017
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
250 Princess St., Brussels
519-887-6388
www.bmfchurch.com
Pastor Jim Whitehead
Guests Welcome
Jesus Is Lord!
Brussels
Mennonite
Fellowship
Worship Service 10:00 am
Coffee & Fellowship
getlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Visitation Sundays ~ Aug. 4-25
Evangelical Missionary Church
Join in worship at
another local church
From the Minister’s StudyWhen life shakes you, God is there to steady
Have A New Addition?
Call for prices and details
519-523-4792 or 519-887-9114
Let everyone know about
your new bundle of joy!
The Citizen