Lessons On Living

[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 7:23

Obey My Voice

Jeremiah 7:23

"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.'"

Obey My Voice

A young son of a missionary couple in Zaire was playing in the yard. Suddenly the voice of the boy's father rang out from the porch, "Philip, obey me instantly! Drop to your stomach!" Immediately the youngster did as his father commanded. "Now crawl toward me as fast as you can!" The boy obeyed. "Stand up and run to me!" Philip responded unquestioningly and ran to his father's arms. As the youngster turned to look at the tree by which he had been playing, he saw a large deadly snake hanging from one of the branches! His father's commands were not issued out of cruelty but for his well-being.

God's commands to the Israelites were given for the same reasons. He wanted the absolute best for them. He assured them through the prophet Jeremiah that His purpose in requiring obedience from them was "that it may be well with you." His heartfelt intent for the people of Israel was that they might enjoy a loving relationship with Him and, at the same time, avoid the sin that was destroying the nations around them.

God wants to control your life also—not for the sake of ruling over you, but because He desires the very best for you. He wants you to enjoy a fulfilling, purposeful and meaningful life with as little distress brought about by sin as possible. His commandments are to make your life more enjoyable, not miserable.

If you feel that your life is being limited by God's commandments, remember their intent. In His infinite wisdom, the Lord knows what will make you happy, not just for today but for all of eternity. Instead of arguing with God or resisting Him, embrace all that He asks, "that it may be well for you."

Obedience is not just good for you; it's best for you.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 8:5

Backslidden

Jeremiah 8:5

"Why then has this people slidden back, Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit, they refuse to return."

Backslidden

Robert Robinson was saved out of a tempestuous life of sin. Shortly after that, at the age of 23, Robinson wrote the hymn "Come, Thou Fount." Sometime later, however, he wandered far from the Lord. One day he was traveling by stagecoach and sat beside a young woman engrossed in a book. In God's providence, she ran across a verse she thought was beautiful and asked him what he thought of it. "Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love." Bursting into tears, Robinson said, "Madam, I am the poor, unhappy man who wrote that hymn many years ago, and I would give a thousand worlds, if I had them, to enjoy the feelings I had then."

The people of ancient Israel knew that situation very well. They, too, were backslidden. In fact, they had reached such a state in their backsliding that they preferred deceit to truth and stubbornly refused to respond to God's plea through Jeremiah to repent. The only option left was judgment. Before Jeremiah's ministry was finished, the city would fall to the Babylonians and the people would be taken into captivity.

There is no one more unhappy than a Christian out of fellowship with His Lord. Not only does this condition bring sorrow to the backslider, but ultimately it brings judgment from God. He loves His children too much to let them continue in this condition without His intervention. He knows they're being robbed of all the good He has designed for them.

If you find yourself today farther away from the Lord than you once were, you've backslidden and you're courting God's judgment. Right now is the time to do something about it. Repent of your sins, confess them and be restored to fellowship with the Lord. If you will judge yourself, God won't have to do it for you.

If you're going in the wrong direction, turning around is the only right direction.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 38:6 Hebrews 9:27 Jeremiah 18:18 Jeremiah 8:20

Too Late!

Jeremiah 8:20

"The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved!"

Too Late!

The ancient city of Pompeii is less than a mile from the foot of Mount Vesuvius. In the summer of A.D. 79, Vesuvius erupted suddenly and with great violence. Hot ash, stones and cinders rained down on the city and the air became filled with poisonous gases. Most of the people escaped, but not all. Among the approximately 200 remains that have been found was one of a woman with her jewels in her hands. Apparently she had spent her time gathering her treasures instead of fleeing from the doomed city. Because of her delay, she lost both her jewels and her life.

As Jeremiah contemplated his own people, he came to a similar conclusion. God had sent warning after warning to Israel through various prophets. Even at the eleventh hour, the Lord raised up Jeremiah to call the people to repentance. But they refused to heed him. Their response was to plot against God's prophet (Jer. 18:18) and eventually to throw him into a mud-filled cistern (38:6). As Jeremiah saw it, the people had reached a point of no return. They had squandered their time in fruitless pursuits and, in their delay, they had missed the opportunity to experience God's salvation. The Babylonian army was at their doorstep and judgment was at hand.

God is gracious and gives us many warnings. His desire is always for repentance rather than judgment. But such warnings must be heeded before it's too late. One day—you don't know when—death will close the door to your opportunity to get right with God. Hebrews 9:27 says, "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment." The Bible is very clear: there are no second chances; there is only judgment.

Listen to God today. Respond to His call without delay. When the time for repentance is past, it's gone forever.

Don't wait; get right with God today.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 11:13-14 Psalms 5:3 Psalms 88:13 Psalms 143:8 Psalms 88:1 Psalms 66:18

When God Won't Hear

Jeremiah 11:13-14

"For according to the number of your cities were your gods, O Judah; and according to the number of the streets of Jerusalem you have set up altars to that shameful thing, altars to burn incense to Baal. Therefore do not pray for this people, or lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble."

When God Won't Hear

Two men were talking one day. One of them said, "My wife talks to herself a lot." His friend answered, "Mine does too, but she doesn't know it. She thinks I'm listening."

Many Christians are like that. They pray, thinking that they are being heard, but God isn't listening. Likewise, Israel placed a great emphasis on prayer. David said that he prayed every morning (Ps. 5:3; 88:13; 143:8). The sons of Korah exclaimed, "O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before You" (Ps. 88:1). Without question, such devotion is commendable. But the people of Jeremiah's day had so profaned their relationship with the Lord that He said, "I will not hear them in the time that they cry out to Me because of their trouble."

Sin interferes with our prayer life. God cannot honor our requests for help when we need to ask for His forgiveness instead. It's amazing how quickly we turn to prayer when we face problems and expect God to deliver us. Yet we are filled with indifference or even outright defiance the rest of the time. In such situations God says, "I'm not listening."

If you are not seeing answers to your prayers, make sure that there is no known sin in your life that is preventing God from responding (Ps. 66:18). Confess your sin and get rid of those attitudes or actions you know can't be pleasing to God, and then the road will be cleared for Him to answer your requests. Claim the cleansing blood of Christ to open the pipeline of prayer.

Prayer only works when the channels are open.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 12:1 Jeremiah 12:14

Why Do the Wicked Prosper

Jeremiah 12:1

Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?

Why Do the Wicked Prosper?

Have you noticed how many intriguing "why" questions we have? I suppose inquiring minds want to know why you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you shouldn't drink and drive. Or why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds? Why are there interstate highways in Hawaii? Why are there flotation devices under airplane seats instead of parachutes? You get the idea.

For Christians, there is a very common "why" question. Why do the wicked prosper? This is the question that plagued the prophet Jeremiah. As he looked at society, he saw the kings of Israel, the false shepherds who were misleading the people, living in palaces and eating the finest foods. He saw the prophets and priests, who were supporting the people in their sins instead of confronting them, employed in comfortable jobs and surrounded by an admiring populace. Why were those who lived contrary to God's will allowed to be happy and content?

Maybe you've asked the same question. It seems that the drug dealers and flesh peddlers have no financial problems. Why does God allow this? Those who defile the marriage bed and have no respect for their wedding vows seem to live happily. Why is that? Of course, the answer is the same today as it was in Jeremiah's day: judgment is coming (Jer. 12: 14). While these things are permitted for a season to test the faith of the righteous (v. 3), those who choose to ignore God's standards and flaunt their wicked lifestyle will someday have to face His wrath.

Be patient. Let these circumstances grow your trust in the Lord. Be confident that, at the right time, God will set the records straight. Those who live unrighteously will be judged and punished; those who live righteously will be vindicated and rewarded.

God uses the wicked to strengthen the resolve of the righteous.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 13:23

A Change of Nature

Jeremiah 13:23

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

A Change of Nature

There's a legend about a scorpion, being a very poor swimmer, who asked a turtle to carry him on its back across the river. "Are you crazy?" exclaimed the turtle. "You'll sting me and I'll drown." "My dear turtle," laughed the scorpion, "if you were to drown, I'd go down with you. Now where's the logic in that?" "You're right," replied the turtle. "Hop on." The scorpion climbed aboard and halfway across the river gave the turtle a mighty sting. As they both sank to the bottom, the turtle inquired, "Do you mind if I ask you something? You said there is no logic in your stinging me. Why did you do it?" "It has nothing to do with logic," the drowning scorpion replied. "It's just my nature."

God realized this problem with the sin nature also applied to His people. Just as an Ethiopian couldn't change the dark color of his skin or a leopard remove the spots from its pelt, neither could God's people truly do good by themselves. On the surface they could make their actions appear good, but the problem lay deeper. Just as skin color and fur markings are more than superficial adornments, the behavior of the Israelites reflected their sin nature. Their actions came out of a nature that was in rebellion against God.

Many unbelievers today are just like that. They do what appear to be kind and gracious acts. They give generously of their finances and time. But underneath it all is still a rebellious attitude toward God that taints all their actions. Only when our nature is changed are we capable of truly doing something good, and that takes a saving relationship with Christ.

Make sure that your relationship with the Lord is right, based on faith in Jesus Christ as Savior. Changing your outward behavior without your inward nature being transformed is just a cover-up. The substance is still the same. Only Jesus can make the inner man capable of doing what is truly good.

Whitewash won't hold up a fence.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 14:14 1 John 4:1

Whom Can You Believe?

Jeremiah 14:14

And the Lord said to me, "The prophets prophesy lies in My name. I have not sent them, commanded them, nor spoken to them; they prophesy to you a false vision, divination, a worthless thing, and the deceit of their heart."

Whom Can You Believe?

1977 millions of people lined up at museums in various cities across the United States to view the treasures of the tomb of King Tutankhamen of Egypt. Later, Ali Hassan, curator of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, discovered some of the jewels found in the tomb were not genuine. They were nothing but glass! When someone asked how this fact could go undetected for so many years, Mr. Hassan replied, "We were blinded by the gold. One just assumes that real gold and real gems go hand-in-hand. This is a case where they don't."

We would also assume that when a prophet claimed to speak for God he was telling the truth. But there are situations where that isn't the case either. Certain prophets may bear the title and dress the part, but they are fakes. God declared that many of the prophets in Jeremiah's time were speaking on their own. While they claimed to speak for the Lord, it was not true. They were speaking on their own initiative and weaving tales to deceive the people.

Jeremiah's day was not the only time when false prophets abounded. There are still many around today. Whether they go by the name of Jim Jones, David Koresh or Marshall Applewhite, they all have the same intent. Through clever deceptions they trick people into believing lies.

You need to be careful who and what you believe. Every teacher you hear, every person who speaks, every claim that is made, must be consistent with the truths of God's Word. If they aren't, they are the product of a false prophet.

Make sure that you test the spirits (1 John 4:1). Don't believe something because it appears true; believe it because God's Word says it is true.

Believe the Bible or you'll believe anything.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 15:16

Called By His Name

Jeremiah 15:16

Your words were found, and I ate them, and Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts.

Called by His Name

It is a tremendous responsibility to bear someone's name. From the pages of history we learn of a cowardly young soldier in the army of Alexander the Great. Whenever the battle grew fierce, the young soldier would withdraw to safety. The general called him to account and asked, "What's your name, soldier?" When the timid soldier replied, "Alexander, sir," Alexander the Great sternly warned him, "Either change your name or change your ways."

Jeremiah proudly declared, "I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." By this he meant, "I bear your name." Jeremiah's life reflected how seriously he took that privilege. In spite of opposition and, at times, physical persecution, he stood firm for God. The realization that he belonged to God was a constant reminder to Jeremiah that he needed to reflect His character. Unflinchingly he served his name's sake, even though, according to tradition, it ultimately resulted in him being placed in a hollow log and sawed in half. Every Christian needs to remember that he or she bears the name of Christ. God's Word will be a joy to us when we seek to live in a way that does not bring shame to the name of our Lord. As we study His Word and make it a part of our daily lives, we will find our heart rejoicing in our relationship with Him. We will find it ever more precious that we are called by His name.

Never forget the name you bear—you are a "Christ"ian. If you want to find joy in that relationship, take time regularly to read God's Word. Prayerfully consider how you might live out that Word so you will show those around you what it means to be called by His name.

Every Christian bears Christ's name; live as an honor to His name.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 16:16-17

Nothing Hidden

Jeremiah 16:16-17

"Behold, I will send for many fishermen," says the Lord, "and they shall fish them; and afterward I will send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain and every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks. For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their iniquity hidden from My eyes."

Nothing Hidden

A man went to steal some corn from his neighbor's field. As a safeguard, he took his little boy with him to keep a lookout. Before beginning the heist, the man looked all around. Not seeing anyone, he was just about to fill his bag when his son cried out, "Daddy, there's one way you haven't looked yet!" The father, supposing that someone was coming, asked his son which way he meant. The young lad answered, "You haven't looked up!" Conscience-stricken, the father took his boy by the hand and hurried home without the corn he had planned to take.

The people of Jeremiah's day were equally sure that they could commit their evil deeds without anyone knowing. But God warned them through His prophet that none of their iniquities were hidden from Him. Whichever way they might turn, whatever wickedness they might perpetrate, God's eye was on them. Even if they sought to hide under the waters, on the mountains or in a hole in the ground, God knew where to find them. Escape from His watchful gaze was impossible.

Technology today has increased astoundingly. Plastic surgeons can alter a person's appearance, and counterfeiters can provide fake identification. But God can't be eluded. His watchful eye can see through any disguise. The one who has deceived those around him has yet to reckon with the One above him. Others may be baffled, but God knows and sees it all.

If you feel a victim of deception, rest assured that God has not been taken in. He has seen every deceitful deed and will eventually bring the guilty party to account. No hiding place is so secure that God's eye cannot see; no guilty party so clever that God will not bring him to justice.

Only a fool thinks he can fool God.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 17:9-10 Jeremiah 17:2 2 Samuel 12:15 Jeremiah 15:18

The Deceitful Heart

Jeremiah 17:9-10

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings."

The Deceitful Heart

One summer the State of Delaware experimented with the honor system for 20 days on its turnpike. Motorists without exact change at the automatic tollbooths were allowed to take return envelopes and mail the money later. The Associated Press reported that in 20 days, more than 26,000 envelopes were taken but only 582 were returned. Of those returned, some had stamps or just pieces of paper instead of money. The experiment cost the state about $4,000 before it was discontinued, and that didn't include the lost tolls.

Israel also demonstrated a dishonest heart. With their lips the people claimed to worship God, but all their actions indicated otherwise. God accused them of building altars and erecting wooden idols under every green tree (Jer. 17:2). Jeremiah called their hearts "deceitful" and "desperately wicked." The word deceitful means "crooked, polluted or slippery." They simply couldn't be trusted. But even more tragic, this situation was terminal. The word translated "desperately wicked" is used elsewhere to mean "incurable" (2 Sam. 12:15; Jer. 15:18). They had untrustworthy hearts, and that would lead to their deaths.

The one thing that hasn't changed over the centuries is man's heart. If anything, it's gotten worse. Children are killing children. Racial groups try to eradicate one another in the name of ethnic cleansing. Cases of rape, abuse, sexually transmitted diseases and brutal crimes are on the rise. But there's hope. God knows our heart and He can make it pure.

Ask God to reveal to you anything in your heart that needs cleansing. Then apply the only substance that can wash your heart clean—the blood of Jesus.

The heart of the problem is the problem with the heart.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 18:1-4

God of the Second Chance

Jeremiah 18:1-4

The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying: "Arise and go down to the potter's house, and there I will cause you to hear My words." Then I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, making something at the wheel. And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter; so he made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make.

God of the Second Chance

Not long before she died in 1988, in a moment of surprising candor on television, Marghanita Laski, a well-known secular humanist and novelist, said, "What I envy most about you Christians is your forgiveness; I have nobody to forgive me."

Jeremiah pointed God's people toward this forgiveness as he shared his experience at the potter's house. While watching the craftsman at his work, he noticed that the vessel became marred. Yet the potter didn't throw away the clay. Instead, he took the flawed material and formed a different container. The same was true for Israel. God's original intent for His people was severely marred by their sin, yet He still had plans for them. When forgiven, they could still serve Him, but in a different way.

Sin always causes havoc in people's lives, including Christians. Sometimes the damage is so extensive that God cannot use those individuals as He originally desired, but He doesn't discard them. When they turn to Him for forgiveness, He can take those misshapen lumps and mold them into vessels for His use—different, perhaps, from what would have been His perfect will, yet useful nevertheless. God is the God of a second chance.

If you are in this condition, marred from the sin that's been in your life, don't despair. Look to God for forgiveness and a second chance. He can remold your life so you can still serve Him as a vessel of His choosing.

The God who made us also can remake us.

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[nChrist]

Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 20:9

Fire in the Bones

Jeremiah 20:9

Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not.

Fire in the Bones

For more than 20 years a fire has been burning deep within the earth of Centralia, a small community of 1,200 residents in the heart of Pennsylvania's anthracite coal fields. Fifteen federal, state and local agencies have spent more than $3.5 million to extinguish the flames without success. You can touch the earth and feel the heat. I have driven through the town to see smoke rising from the ground. Government officials have stopped trying to put out the fire; it's a futile task.

It was a fire like this that smoldered in the depths of Jeremiah's soul. After being accused and abused, God's servant decided simply to ignore the need around him. If people didn't want to hear what God had to say, he would oblige them. But it wasn't that simple. As he shut up God's words within him, they felt like a fire burning in his bones. Nothing was able to extinguish the flames. He had to express what God put in his heart.

This should be true for every Christian too. We should have a burning message in our hearts. Like an underground fire, God's message of salvation should be burning a hole in our souls. It is not a message the world will like to hear, and there may even be unpleasant consequences if we share it. But when a fire burns deep within you with no hope of quenching it, you simply must share the message. People need the Lord.

Pray that God will fan the flames in your soul today. Look for every opportunity to share the message in your heart, and when you find those opportunities, take them. Touch people's lives with your fire and spread the flames.

It's better to be ablaze for Jesus than smolder in quietness.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 21:8

The Choice

Jeremiah 21:8

"Now you shall say to this people, 'Thus says the Lord: "Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death."'"

The Choice

According to Aesop's fables, a long time ago when the world was young, the birds and the beasts were engaged in a bitter war. The bat, not wanting to be on the losing side—whichever that might turn out to be—tried to be on both sides. Whenever the birds won a battle, he would fly with them, telling everyone he was a bird. When the beasts won, he would walk around, assuring everyone that he was a beast. Because he refused to make a choice, he was rejected by both the birds and the beasts. From that day on, according to Aesop, the bat has had to go into hiding, living in dark caves, only daring to come out at night.

God instructed Jeremiah to put before the Israelites a choice. The armies of Nebuchadnezzar surrounded the city of Jerusalem. Those who defected to the Chaldeans, God said, would be spared; those who stayed in the city were doomed. This was the very opposite of what the people expected. Surely God would not allow His holy city to be conquered. They were faced with the choice of believing God as He spoke through Jeremiah or their false prophets, who assured them Jerusalem would not fall. One way was life, the other way was death, and there was no middle ground.

There are still many false prophets in the world. They speak eloquently of what God has done or will do. But their words don't square with God's words as found in the Bible. To choose the former is to choose death; to choose the latter is to choose life—but a choice must be made. Taking both sides is not an option.

Have you decided yet what you will choose? Make your choice today. Will it be the wisdom of the world, which brings the way of death? Or will it be the wisdom of God's Word, which brings the way of life? The choice is yours, but a choice must be made. You can't have it both ways.

When it comes to life and death, there's no third option.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 23:29 Jeremiah 23:1-2 Ephesians 4:17-19

A Hammer on a Rock

Jeremiah 23:29

"Is not My word like a fire?" says the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?"

A Hammer on a Rock

Hammers come in all shapes and sizes. There are jackhammers, sledgehammers, claw hammers and ball peen hammers, to name a few. Each one is designed with a certain task in mind. A jackhammer breaks up asphalt. A sledgehammer drives stakes into the ground. A claw hammer drives nails through lumber. A ball peen hammer is frequently used by machinists. But all hammers have one ultimate purpose: to enable the user to penetrate a hard substance.

As God viewed Israel in the time of Jeremiah, He saw a nation whose heart had become exceedingly hard. The kings (or shepherds) failed in their responsibility to lead the people as they ought. Instead of guiding them to green pastures, many of the kings led the people into the wilderness of idolatry and immorality (Jer. 23:1-2). Even the religious leaders, whose job was to exhort the people to righteousness, hardened their hearts against God. He declared that both prophet and priest were profane (v. 11). Something was needed to penetrate these callused hearts. That's why God proclaimed that His Word would not only be like a fire to burn away the chaff, but also like a hammer, powerful enough to shatter the rock-hard hearts of His people.

The Bible tells us that sin hardens the heart (Eph. 4:17-19). The longer a person rebels against God, the harder his heart becomes. But we must never underestimate the power of God's Word. Sometimes it touches our lives gently and brings comfort and healing. At other times it comes down like a sledgehammer with a blow that breaks our hearts into pieces. The more we choose to harden our hearts against God and His will, the more devastating the blow.

Ask God to reveal if your heart has become hardened toward Him. And if you sense it has, allow Him to use His Word to shatter any hardness you might find.

Better a shattered heart than a hardened heart.

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Author: Woodrow Kroll
Source: Lessons on Living From Jeremiah
Scripture: Jeremiah 24:7 2 Corinthians 5:17

A Heart to Know God

Jeremiah 24:7

"Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart."

A Heart to Know God

A few years ago Kelly Perkins could hardly walk around the block, let alone climb a mountain. In 1995, however, she was the recipient of a heart transplant. Two years later she became the first heart-transplant patient to climb Mount Whitney, the highest mountain in the 48 contiguous states. Thanks to a new heart, the 36-year-old real estate appraiser was able to reach the top and return within three days. All this was done without any ill effects. What the old heart could never have accomplished, the new one did easily.

God promised that His people would someday receive a new heart as well. In place of their old, sin-clogged spiritual cardiovascular system, they would receive a new heart that would enable them to love the Lord and follow Him. This could not be accomplished by "reworking" the heart they already had, however. Israel needed a heart transplant and only God could do it.

This promise was fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. When we receive Christ as our Savior, whether we are a Jew or a Gentile, God doesn't simply patch up the weak spots or plaster over the cracks. He doesn't simply remodel our old lives. He gives us new lives. He makes us into completely new creatures in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). And that includes a new spiritual heart. What the old heart couldn't do, the new heart is able to accomplish with joy. Through the work of God's Spirit in your new heart, you can know and obey the Lord Jesus in a way that never could have been achieved with the old.

Give thanks to God for your new heart. Rejoice that now you can not only seek the Lord with all your heart, but you can obey Him with all your heart as well.

Only God can perform a spiritual heart transplant.

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