IMO: You’ll Never Change - Thursday
Psalm 51:10
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. (ESV)
Jesus is the only one who can change our hearts. My question to you this morning is what occupies your heart? Is it the love of money? Is it anxiety? Is it fear? Or maybe something else not of God? You wouldn’t be alone if you said yes to any of these questions. There is no shame in admitting nor recognizing when our heart is preoccupied with things other than God. However, my hope and intention today is to provide you with a glimpse of the freedom that comes from allowing yourself to surrender to Jesus.
I remember reading a short story titled “The Bet.” The plot centers around a poor attorney making a bet with a wealthy banker. The banker agreed to give the attorney 2 million dollars if he voluntarily served a 15-year sentence in solitary confinement. Throughout his time in solitary confinement, the attorney requested books from the banker. Initially, he asked for lighthearted short stories, and then moved on to the classics. Over the years, he studied everything from history to philosophy to music to science. Around the tenth year, he began to read nothing but the Gospels. He read unwaveringly through the Bible. The night before his sentence was completed, he wrote to the banker to let him know that the things of this world were no longer important to him because of his love for Jesus and his focus on eternity. To prove to the banker that his change was genuine, he declined the 2 million dollar prize.
Although a work of fiction, this short story paints such a beautiful picture of the heart change that only Jesus can work for us. What kind of crazy person would turn down 2 million dollars after spending 15 years in solitary confinement? Only a person radically changed by the love of Jesus. Jesus takes our hearts, which are fixed on the things of this world, cleans them, and renews us within.
Thursday’s Reflection
Listen to the song "Draw Me Close" by Michael W. Smith, and be reminded that Jesus is the most important thing in your life!
