Brave Heart (1)

“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

Where your treasure is
It is often possible to discern the priorities of a person’s heart by listening to his conversation. If Jesus is correct, that by our mouths we express what fills our hearts, then the topics of a person’s conversation can be a reliable indicator of the “treasure” he has stored up in his heart.

When I taught in a theological seminary, I would occasionally require students to keep track of their activities, including their conversations, for a week. They used a simple 3x5 card and wrote down their activities each day. Then, when we would come back together for class, I would ask each student for a report. Topics of conversation ranged from family matters to issues or projects at work, the fate of the local sports team, interesting things on TV or the latest film, and, as we might expect, things related to their faith in Jesus Christ.

After all the students had shared their summaries, I would ask, “OK, based on these conversations, what would you say is the fullness of your own heart? What do you think about most often? Feel most strongly about? Talk about with others most readily?” The answers were what you might expect: family, work, diversions, and, oh yes, faith.

The heart is the heart of the matter in life. The attitudes, desires, longings, aspirations, hopes, and fears that rule in our hearts will determine, to a very great extent, the priorities of our lives. It is of the utmost importance, therefore, that we guard our hearts with all diligence, making sure that the affections harbored there are properly focused and nurtured to the right intensity, so that we can fulfill our Kingdom-and-glory callings from the Lord.

And if there is one affection that brings together all the most powerful and positive affections of our hearts, it is surely courage. The word itself has the word, “heart,” “cour”, at its root. When we are acting courageously, all our most powerful affections come together as one to move us in extraordinary ways. Fear, love, gratitude, and hope, all in place and working as God intends, should engender courage in every believer – the courage to act in line with our calling to God’s Kingdom and glory. Courage is the great motivating affection of the heart.

Courage
The Oxford English Dictionary defines courage as “That quality of mind which shows itself in facing danger without fear or shrinking,” and equates courage with “bravery, boldness, valour.” While courage certainly engages our minds, it originates in our hearts, where, to find expression, it must overcome such other powerful emotions as complacency, tentativeness, timidity, and fear. Courage rises from the fear of God, love for God and neighbors, gratitude in every situation, and the hope of glory. It binds love, devotion, determination, hope, and zeal into a single, powerful affection that enables us, when it is engaged, to overcome our fears, exceed our expectations, and surmount our greatest challenges.

We tend to think of courage as a momentary affection, something we call upon or summon for extraordinary situations. So it’s not surprising that normal conversation probably doesn’t reveal the presence of courage in our hearts. But the things we do talk about, as they reveal the fullness of our hearts, can help us to know whether, when push comes to shove, we will have the courage we need as the situation requires it. If our conversations revolve mostly around ourselves and our daily occupations and preoccupations, and if there is little talk about the Lord and His Kingdom, promises, and glory, then it’s likely our hearts are full of trivial affections, such as complacency and self-interest. We’ll need to do some work on our hearts to make sure the courage we need for obeying and glorifying God is there when we need it.

Christian courage
If we want courage to serve us well, and to move us to act as followers of Christ in every situation, then we shall have to sharpen the focus and build up the treasury of our hearts.

We can nurture Christian courage by making sure that we fear, love, and delight in the Lord above all else, that we love others with the love of Christ, and that we are zealous for the truth and glory of God at all times, and in every situation. The more we give thanks to the Lord in every situation, and focus on Christ exalted and His Kingdom coming as our great hope, the more we may expect to have courage at the ready, to act in line with the mind of Christ and the heart of God’s Spirit.

When these affections represent the fullness of our hearts, we will talk about the things of Christ more consistently and with more evident joy and delight. And when that is the case, anything that threatens these cherished values and priorities, or offers us the opportunity to express them, can spark within us the fires of Christian courage.

For reflection
1.  How do people decide what their values and priorities in life should be? What are some ways these come to expression in their lives?

2.  Many Christians seem to lack courage when it comes to talking with others about their faith. Why do you suppose this is so?

3.  Is there a difference between courage per se and Christian courage?

Next steps – Preparation: Try it yourself: Monitor your conversations for a week or so. Download the free worksheet, “The Time of Your Lives” (click here) and follow the instructions. What comes out as representing the fullness of your heart? Is that fullness sufficient to engender courage whenever it might be required?

T. M. Moore

This is part 6 of a multi-part series on Keeping the Heart. To download this week’s study as a free PDF, click here.

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Where do the heart, mind, and conscious – which together comprise the soul – fit in our Christian worldview? Our free online course, One in Twelve: Introduction to Christian Worldview, shows you how to understand the workings of your soul in relation to all other aspects of your life in Christ. For more information and to register, click here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.