A new heart, every day, all year long. What a gift for each one of us to look forward to in the coming new year.
Happy New Year!
Denny
Psalms of Discipleship—Principle #51
Life Principles For Those Who Choose To Follow Jesus And Live The Discipled Life
Key Scripture: 10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11 Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Psalm 51:10-11
Core Value: Grace
Planned obsolescence. We buy it. We use it. We break it. We dispose of it and begin the whole cycle again until we die. Those of us who are old enough remember the quality that went into the electrical fan that sat on a table keeping us cool. Our sole responsibility was to inject lightweight oil into the motor on occasion that not only guaranteed the long life of the appliance but also meant we could spend our hard-earned money on other things.
The human heart is the epitome of planned obsolescence. It breaks all the time and needs to be constantly replaced. The disciple’s heart comes with an extended lifetime warranty of sorts. Unlike the fans that kept on working after many years of use, the human heart is different. Because of sin (which rusts us away), our heart is always in need of repair. Those who have given their heart to Jesus have the promise of a replacement heart that is clean. It is a miracle every time it happens.
In a word, it is grace. May we learn to echo the prayer of David when he requested, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.”
Principle #51 & Personal Application: A quality disciple requests a miracle every day: the creation of a clean heart from the Lord.
• It is a miracle of grace when God can “create” (literally make something out of nothing) in me a clean heart.
• It is a miracle of grace when God renews a steadfast spirit within me.
• It is a miracle of grace when God does not cast me away from His presence.
• It is a miracle of grace when God does not take His Holy Spirit from me.
Reflect & Respond: Some Really Good Questions To Ponder…
What does it feel like, what descriptive words come to mind, when God removes the plaque of sin that has sickened my heart?
Am I more prone to allow guilt to keep me from enjoying the presence of the Lord or do I live like the shed blood of Jesus has set me free?
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for the miracle of a clean heart. You are the Great Physician and only You can heal the sin-sickened heart. Thank You for the miracle of renewing in me a steadfast spirit. Thank You that I will always be a child of Yours and You will never cast me aside and take away Your precious Holy Spirit from me.
The Essential Core Values Of The Quality Disciple Are…
Grace—Worship—Bible Study—Prayer—Community—Service—Evangelism
Denny Bates & Something New Christian Publishers © 2011 All rights reserved.
www.dennybates.com
http://thequalitydisciple.blogspot.com/
Why A One Year Journey With The Shepherd May Be A Great Resource For You!
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