A New Heart

“When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’  Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.’”

Matthew 19:25-26 (NIV) 

I was praying earlier and I told God:  So far today, God, I’ve done all right.  I haven’t lost my temper, I haven’t been greedy, I haven’t been grumpy, I haven’t been nasty, I haven’t been selfish, or overindulgent.  I’m thankful for that, but from now on, I’m probably going to need a lot more of your help.  In a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed! 

Another humourous story that goes around on emails, but sometimes it seems like we try and try to live a Christian life, but keep making the same mistakes.  The Christian walk can seem very difficult and nearly impossible, but take heart—help is nigh!    Philippians 2:13 Amplified Version says, “(Not in your own strength) for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you (energizing and creating in you the power and desire), both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.” 

One popular song begs, “Change my heart O God, make me more like you……”  Even though God inspired Jeremiah to write that the heart is deceitful and wicked (Jeremiah 17:9), we can have a new heart—a ‘heart transplant’.  In Ezekiel 36:26 God says, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).   And in 2 Corinthians 4:16, we read, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 

So take heart–every night we ‘practice death and resurrection’, and each new day is a fresh start.  Thank God for another chance to learn and grow.  

Prayer

Change my heart, O God, and make me more like you, renewing my heart and mind by your Spirit each day.

Amen 

Study by Nancy Silcox