13. Separation of the heart… cannot long remain within
WESLEY:
But the ill consequences of even this species of schism do not terminate in the heart. Evil tempers cannot long remain within, before they are productive of outward fruit. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. As he whose heart is full of love openeth his mouth with wisdom, and in his lips there is the law of kindness; so he whose heart is full of prejudice, anger, suspicion, or any unkind temper, will surely open his mouth in a manner corresponding with the disposition of his mind. And hence will arise, if not lying and slandering, (which yet will hardly be avoided,) bitter words, tale-bearing, backbiting, and evil-speaking of every kind.
PRAYER:
Proverbs 4:18-19,22 - The ways of right-living people glow with light; the longer they live, the brighter they shine. But the road of wrongdoing gets darker and darker - travelers can’t see a thing; they fall flat on their faces. …Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
REFLECTION:
Wesley speaks to our hearts during these times of potential disaffiliation. Proverbs also speaks clearly about shining bright with right-living and staying within the instructions of Wisdom. And again, Wesley speaks of a “species” of separation; but now asks when the message of this species gets into the heart.
Do you have absolute clarity on why we are even discussing disaffiliation? If so, do you feel our hearts “full of love”, “mouth with wisdom”, and in our “lips there is the law of kindness”? Even while holding the tension of all our collections of consciousness? If not, has this species of schism covered the hearts of our community and what outward words and actions are reflected by this? I pray we see the clarity of guarding our hearts and the consequences of allowing such species in.
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