Evidence of an Established Heart

James 5:9-12

9 Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye
be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the
door.
10 Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken
in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering
affliction, and of patience.
11 Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have
heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end
of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of
tender mercy.
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not,
neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by
any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your
nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.

Evidence: the available body of facts or information
indicating whether a belief or proposition is true
or valid

Evidence that we have an established heart in Christ should show by our attitude and actions. "Grudge not one against another" is James way of saying have a positive attitude towards one another. Do you hold a grudge or grumble towards your neighbor or brother or sister? It is easy to criticize other people without considering our own attitudes and actions. Grumbling always occurs in the absence of grace. If someone grumbles against someone they have forgotten the grace of God and in reality are condemning themselves.

Luke 6:35-38

35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend,
hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be
great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest:
for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is
merciful.
37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn
not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye
shall be forgiven:
38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good
measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and
running over, shall men give into your bosom. For
with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall
be measured to you again.

Jesus had an insightful take on what our attitudes should be like. Be giving, merciful, forgiving and loving. With the same measure you give it will be given unto you. Because we know Jesus is coming soon it should affect our attitudes and how we behave. Truly, Jesus is at the door and our attitudes and actions should come from a pure heart, showing others love and kindness. We should not hold grudges and grumble one to another because Jesus is at the door.

And look at Job, how he endured great suffering, never turned on God and came out on top. As such we must endure with pure hearts in the Lord all the way to the end of our journey. Be kind, be loving, be long-suffering, be giving, be merciful, be forgiving, speak truth in Christ Jesus and God will be with you and reward you greatly.

Let your yays be your yays and your nays be your nays and do not swear by anything in heaven or on earth. For anything more than yay or nay comes from the evil one. Be a man or woman of God and integrity.

I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love
will have the final word in reality. This is why
right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil
triumphant. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr

Reference: Pastor Al Pittman
Calvary Worship Center, Colorado Springs, CO
Sermon

The Grim Reaper Preacher says, "Try reading the Bible from cover to cover - you'll like it."