4 things that grow an unoffendable heart

1. Dedication to be conformed to the image of Christ.
This means simply living in the desire and compassion that Jesus lived in. Love God supremely and serve Him alone. It is God’s desire that we be like Him!

Genesis 1: 26-28: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”   The text reveals image, likeness and dominion.

God offers support to accomplish this conforming work. Ezekiel 36:26-27: I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.

Jesus makes a great invitation to receive the conforming work. On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:37, 38) This was a parallel to the Holy Spirit, which was to come and has now come!

2. Trusting God for all my needs
(Relief from expectations)
At the core level of my person, I accept and believe that only God can truly meet my needs. God may use people to support, encourage and love me. People are free to not meet or express love to me if they so choose. I must never become demanding that others perform so my needs are met. Christ knew in advance and told His disciples that they would betray and abandon Him. Still He prayed for them, washed their feet and fed them spiritual food, even giving up His body and blood in exchange for their lives.

Sarah was willing to obey Abraham and call him lord, even though he was only her husband. But she trusted God! 1 Peter 3:5-6: For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

Jesus declared that our heart and treasure would be in the same place. (Matt 6:19-21) God is a limitless supply to us of all that we need. He has promised in the Bible that He knows our need before we ask and intends to supply. So we don’t even need to worry about it! (Matt. 6:25-34) We are instructed to ask, seek and knock, finding it open to us, and to do for others as we need or would like to have done for us. (Matt. 7:7-12) And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19 NIV)

3. Seeing the unique value of each person
God has so designed every human being in such a way that there are no two people that are alike. He relates to each one individually in His own special way. There is very high value placed on each person by God. If I’m to be like Jesus then I will optimally see each person from God’s point of view. (1 Cor. 12 & Rom. 12)

Apostle Paul, out of his own success, offers this instruction:
If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross! (Phil 2: 1- 8)

Jesus determined that His uniting with humanity was not divisible, dissolvable or detachable. Our desire to be like Him is looking to conform to an aspect of Christ nature; His united loving blessing always to all.

4. Believe and practice the Scriptures
Psalm 119 has many points of reference about how the Word helps me practice/attain this unoffendable heart and nature.

Verse 141: Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.
Verse 143: Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.
Verses 150 & 151: Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law. Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commands are true.
Verse 161: Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your Word.
Verse 165: Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

Love and adherence to the Word of God gives me a confidence that I am ultimately called and designed to be like Christ. “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master.” (Matt. 10:24-25a)

No matter what people do against me I do not have to fear or be disappointed or discouraged.

The Challenge: “Possess your own soul” (Luke 21:19)
There is a process to learn in expressing this new heart within. It comes by our working to form the mind and attitude of Christ. We are invited to choose the discipline of patience to possess our soul.

Do you remember our talk about the power of prospering the soul and how it has as its own reward in the prospering of our finances and health? (3 John 1:2) You may prefer to stay at the entrance to the Christian life, rejoicing in your salvation. Even King David asked for God to restore the joy of his salvation. But there is an invitation to create and build our own soul in accordance with the new life God has placed within us.

Sometimes we fail because of ignorance or misguidance about the way God has made us. We find ourselves looking to blame things on the devil, others or circumstances. These failures are most often the result of our own undisciplined natures. Some things are overcome simply by kicking it out of our lives. It may be a struggle not to listen to our own complaints, or our physical conditions, but we don’t need to submit to them, not even for a second. Do not yield to the simple curse of “I won’t.” Pick yourselves up by the back of the neck and shake yourselves off!

Just think what we could be when awakened to the truth, chasing it with everything we have! Once this intentional determination begins, we will find ourselves doing what we believed we were unable to do, doing what the Bible says we can do! The Christian life is one of spiritual courage and determination lived out in our flesh. Let’s choose Christ’s living way and reject the curse of “I won’t”!

(Posted March 1, 2005)