Luke 14:33 - [Jesus said] "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
Years ago, I spent several months watching one of the ladies in my congregation die. She was relatively young, in her early forties. She was dying because she had a bad heart. Doctors gave her a host of meds to keep her going, but all of those drugs are only temporary. She knew she would never be there for the weddings of some of her children. She would never hold a grandchild on her lap. She agonized about how much of a goodbye she should give to her husband. She had things to say, but she didn't want to add to his worry. He was going to be alone. She was dying, and there was no cure.
Then, in a different state, a young man had an accident. After the man's wife donated his organs, the woman from my church got a call: "Be at the hospital in an hour. We have a new heart for you." The surgery worked. She came home from the hospital with color in her cheeks. Better yet, she came home with a future. As a result, she would have done anything she could to say thank you to the man's family.
Thousands of years before heart transplants were invented, the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel wrote some words from God: "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to obey My rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be My people, and I will be your God" (Ezekiel 36:26-28).
Ezekiel was describing God's plan to give dying humanity a spiritual heart transplant. To give us this new lease on life, God sent his Son as our divine donor. He carried our sins and died the death our iniquities deserved. His resurrection three days later is proof that His sacrifice has been completed and was successful. Now, like the psalmist, believers can confidently pray, "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalm 51:10). Knowing God has given us a new spirit and a new heart, we are eternally grateful to the Savior who intentionally, sacrificially, has given us His life so that all who believe in Him might live with Him forever.
WE PRAY: Heavenly Father, do a work of love and renewal on this old heart of mine. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
From "Giving and Getting," a devotional message from Rev. Dr. Kenneth Klaus, Speaker Emeritus of The Lutheran Hour
Reflection Questions:
1. Have you ever met someone who received an organ donation? How did it change their life?
2. Saying no to the world is not easy, but the benefits are far-reaching. Why is this important in our Christian walk?
3. As we follow Jesus, we daily renounce the world. What are some ways you renounce the world?
Today's Bible Readings: Ruth 1-4 Luke 17:1-19
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