A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. Luke 6:45
We have a list of movies we try to watch every Christmas. Some years we do better than others, but we almost always watch the 1966 animated classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas! I especially like the lyrics from the song.
Your soul is an appalling dump heap
Overflowing with the most disgraceful
Assortment of deplorable rubbish
Imaginable, mangled up in tangled up knots
While the poor Grinch's heart was in this state, he couldn't help but do despicable and evil things. The condition of his heart showed in all his words and actions. He lied, stole, and was generally a rotter.
But the story of the Grinch, and our lives, is not one of condemnation but redemption. Thanks to the good news of Jesus Christ, we do not need to stay as we are. When we accept Christ, we experience a change of heart.
There is a story of evangelism in the story as well. The Grinch's heart grew three sizes that day in response to the Who's joy despite their losses. HIs taking everything away didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for Christmas. We may never know who is listening to our stories and observing our actions. Keep right on singing; others will see the goodness of our hearts.
God, we give you thanks for changes of heart. Please help us this day be your people in the world. Let our lives be an example to others. Amen.
Blessings,
Pastor Tim
