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Part of a sixties song I remember went something like this: “That's tough!” ─ “What's tough?” ─ “Life.” ─ “What's Life?” ─ “A magazine.” ─ “How much does it cost?” ─ “Fifteen cents.” ─ “I only got a nickel.” ─ “That’s tough.” ─ “What's tough?” ─ “Life.” etc., etc., etc….

Today’s message is about the issues of life, but not the magazine. It is about issues of life that are far more valuable (and sometimes costly). Solomon issued the following warning: “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.” (Proverbs 4.23). Jesus spoke of this same storeroom when He said, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6.45). Failure to properly appraise the real worth of this storehouse is a sure recipe for life failures of the most devastating type.

Obviously the heart as noted in the previous passages is nothing like the heart as it is commonly used today (the organ that pumps blood throughout the body). Rather, the heart in these passages refers to the inner man and his innermost thoughts and value systems. The heart is the storage place where all of these things come together and, in essence, determine who we are and how we react to the things about us. Out of this heart spring the issues of life!

Sometimes a person is forced to temporarily place incompatible substances in proximity to one another. However, even the bagger at the grocery store knows that precautions have to be taken in such cases. For that reason, he/she doesn’t mix edibles with things like detergent, bleach, or other hazardous substances. Also, if there are glass bottles, they will typically be placed in paper bags (or even double bagged) to prevent breakage. In these cases, the grocery cart and then the car becomes the storehouse in which incompatibles are temporarily stored. Now consider a parallel. Sometimes it is necessary to temporarily store anger in the heart along with emotions like love and grace. However, when this is necessary, we should make sure that adequate precautions are taken to prevent damage. Just as Tide can ruin the taste of turnips, so anger can spill over into the compartment containing love and spoil it. When we are forced to store positive emotions along with those that can be volatile, the least we can do is double-bag them until we can properly dispose of the hazardous items.

When anger is stored for long periods of time in the heart, it taints the positive just as surely as leftover anchovy pizza changes the taste of everything in the refrigerator. Solomon sized it up correctly when he charged us to keep our hearts with all diligence. Since positive and potentially negative emotions all rise from the same storehouse, it would be wise to plan ahead for situations when diligent care be taken. When we plan ahead to dispose quickly of anger and other negative things in the heart, we keep our heart with all diligence. When we harbour such feelings, we throw caution to the wind and invite life to turn bitter! In matters of the heart, an ounce of prevention is worth far more than a pound of cure!

Anger stored in the heart does not keep; it decomposes into resentment and hatred. Anger is relatively easily disposed of; resentment and hatred are toxic elements that are in a class by themselves. Paul warned, “Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.” (Ephesians 4.26). Anger has a place in the heart for a short time; resentment and hatred are toxic from the start. “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”

Questions:

1. How would you define heart as it is used in today’s texts?

2. How can one plan ahead to dispose of anger quickly? What are the long term effects of residual anger?

3. Can a person be angry without sinning? What happens if that anger is not disposed of in a short period of time? Will sin result? How long would you say it is safe to remain angry?

4. How important is it to keep/guard your heart? What is at risk?

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

The First Sin