The filing cabinet in my heart
Cross Purposes # 94
15 August 2007
Over the last six months or so, I’ve heard a couple of people put forward the idea that inside each human spiritual heart there is a filing cabinet with three drawers, which contain our spiritual convictions. The top drawer is for those things we’ve been able to file as “Truth”. The bottom drawer is for those things we’ve come to understand as “Lies”. The in-between drawer is labelled “Unsure”.
Most of us are people of good heart and good intention and therefore are innately inclined to live out of our Truth Drawer. We wish to build our lives rightly, and form our views and convictions correctly and honestly. We sense and know that a lot of life and harmony revolves around getting it right. That expresses the beginnings of holiness.
The way we are, the way we live, the people we become is just as much decided by the fact that we don’t want to build our lives on a lie. Instinctively we sense that to do so is going to get us into trouble. The Lies Drawer is therefore also an important reference point for us.
The Unsure Drawer has on file those things we haven’t yet come to clarity and conviction about – and since people are at different stages in life, maturity and spiritual awareness, what’s inside may vary from person to person.
To have “Truth” in the truth drawer and “Lies” in the lie drawer is to have healthy spiritual foundations. Problems arise, however, and massively so, when we happen to have genuine ‘truths’ filed in the lie drawer and falsehoods filed in the truth drawer. I was going to say ‘when this happens’ but I believe that it’s true that every human being, including Christians, are in that actual situation. The only outcome possible is confusion, pain and destructive behaviour.
How do we establish what is ‘truth’ and what is ‘lie’? For the followers of Jesus Christ there is only one way. If he is “the way, the truth and the life” then he is the touch stone, the straight stone by which we can check the alignment of the things on which we build our lives. It’s in him that we see as clearly as ever revealed “what God meant and intended” for human beings. The behaviours God seeks, and the heart stance he looks for, are set out in the Law of God. However, if you were looking for “standards” then we need to know that in Jesus Christ God raised the bar. Compare:
Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Torah OT
Love one another as I have loved you New Covenant.
The New Testament tells us we have the mind of Christ, the Spirit of Christ (of Truth), the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the love of Christ – and on and on. It’s not that we aspire to get or have these things. We have them! We do aspire to live these truths out in daily living. Now that’s the real challenge.
So what are some of these truths in the lies drawer and lies in the truth drawer which stuff up our lives? Here’s some to think about.
All religions are the same in that they are all equal tracks to God.
God rewards all people with eternal life if they live good lives on earth. (check out what is said at almost any funeral)
The only way to handle depression is to get psychiatric help and medication.
All behaviours are okay if they cause no one physical harm.
I can be a Christian without worshipping.
There are no consequences for promiscuous behaviour.
Modern people know that abortion is not an issue anymore.
Baptism and Confirmation mean I’m guaranteed to be okay with God.
There’s no place for a human ‘spirit’ in the modern understanding of people and life.
The devil doesn’t exist.
Hell doesn’t exist (except as a town in Norway).
Yoga, Buddism, and the Christian faith are not in conflict with each other in any way.
I could go on with such examples. Even as I write this I realise there are many who’d disagree with what I’m suggesting. However the two basic commands of the New Covenant are the truths which can and need to inform our lives for salvation, let alone health, harmony and safety.
Here again are the great truths of the New Testament:
Truth One
What must we do to the works of God? (Jews question to Jesus John 6: 24-25)
His answer? “Believe in the one the Father has sent”. ie believe in and trust Jesus Christ. This is the primary command of the New Covenant.
Truth Two
How shall we live? “Love one another as I have loved you!” Jesus Christ to his disciples on the night before Good Friday.
He is truth folks. All else is smokescreen! And he forces us to consider that fundamental question – Is he a lunatic making idiotic claims?
Is he a liar making false claims?
Is he Lord, and what he says and does is revelation of truth and therefore to be trusted?
Happy digestion, or indigestion as the case may be.
Fred
15 August 2007
Over the last six months or so, I’ve heard a couple of people put forward the idea that inside each human spiritual heart there is a filing cabinet with three drawers, which contain our spiritual convictions. The top drawer is for those things we’ve been able to file as “Truth”. The bottom drawer is for those things we’ve come to understand as “Lies”. The in-between drawer is labelled “Unsure”.
Most of us are people of good heart and good intention and therefore are innately inclined to live out of our Truth Drawer. We wish to build our lives rightly, and form our views and convictions correctly and honestly. We sense and know that a lot of life and harmony revolves around getting it right. That expresses the beginnings of holiness.
The way we are, the way we live, the people we become is just as much decided by the fact that we don’t want to build our lives on a lie. Instinctively we sense that to do so is going to get us into trouble. The Lies Drawer is therefore also an important reference point for us.
The Unsure Drawer has on file those things we haven’t yet come to clarity and conviction about – and since people are at different stages in life, maturity and spiritual awareness, what’s inside may vary from person to person.
To have “Truth” in the truth drawer and “Lies” in the lie drawer is to have healthy spiritual foundations. Problems arise, however, and massively so, when we happen to have genuine ‘truths’ filed in the lie drawer and falsehoods filed in the truth drawer. I was going to say ‘when this happens’ but I believe that it’s true that every human being, including Christians, are in that actual situation. The only outcome possible is confusion, pain and destructive behaviour.
How do we establish what is ‘truth’ and what is ‘lie’? For the followers of Jesus Christ there is only one way. If he is “the way, the truth and the life” then he is the touch stone, the straight stone by which we can check the alignment of the things on which we build our lives. It’s in him that we see as clearly as ever revealed “what God meant and intended” for human beings. The behaviours God seeks, and the heart stance he looks for, are set out in the Law of God. However, if you were looking for “standards” then we need to know that in Jesus Christ God raised the bar. Compare:
Love your neighbour as you love yourself. Torah OT
Love one another as I have loved you New Covenant.
The New Testament tells us we have the mind of Christ, the Spirit of Christ (of Truth), the meekness and gentleness of Christ, the love of Christ – and on and on. It’s not that we aspire to get or have these things. We have them! We do aspire to live these truths out in daily living. Now that’s the real challenge.
So what are some of these truths in the lies drawer and lies in the truth drawer which stuff up our lives? Here’s some to think about.
All religions are the same in that they are all equal tracks to God.
God rewards all people with eternal life if they live good lives on earth. (check out what is said at almost any funeral)
The only way to handle depression is to get psychiatric help and medication.
All behaviours are okay if they cause no one physical harm.
I can be a Christian without worshipping.
There are no consequences for promiscuous behaviour.
Modern people know that abortion is not an issue anymore.
Baptism and Confirmation mean I’m guaranteed to be okay with God.
There’s no place for a human ‘spirit’ in the modern understanding of people and life.
The devil doesn’t exist.
Hell doesn’t exist (except as a town in Norway).
Yoga, Buddism, and the Christian faith are not in conflict with each other in any way.
I could go on with such examples. Even as I write this I realise there are many who’d disagree with what I’m suggesting. However the two basic commands of the New Covenant are the truths which can and need to inform our lives for salvation, let alone health, harmony and safety.
Here again are the great truths of the New Testament:
Truth One
What must we do to the works of God? (Jews question to Jesus John 6: 24-25)
His answer? “Believe in the one the Father has sent”. ie believe in and trust Jesus Christ. This is the primary command of the New Covenant.
Truth Two
How shall we live? “Love one another as I have loved you!” Jesus Christ to his disciples on the night before Good Friday.
He is truth folks. All else is smokescreen! And he forces us to consider that fundamental question – Is he a lunatic making idiotic claims?
Is he a liar making false claims?
Is he Lord, and what he says and does is revelation of truth and therefore to be trusted?
Happy digestion, or indigestion as the case may be.
Fred
posted by PastorFredVeerhuis at 1:58 PM
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