I have a heart problem.

I have been living with coronary heart disease for over 15 years. But the heart problem I am speaking about doesn’t have anything to do with blocked arteries or irregular heartbeats.

We have a heart problem.

The thing is my heart, your heart, our hearts are so incredibly unreliable and untrustworthy. Our hearts are terribly stubborn and our hearts are very selfish. Our hearts don’t give a rip about what is right and wrong, what is good and what is sin. Our hearts are completely devoid of and incapable of morals.

Our hearts have only one longing, one yearning – hunger.

Our hearts always insist on its hunger to be satiated. It’s hunger is loud and constant and will remain so until it is satisfied.

Our hearts don’t care what damage its satiation leaves in its wake. It cares not about the lives that are destroyed. It has one yearning. It has one hunger. And it will continue demanding to be satiated until it is satisfied.

But, here’s is its most deadly trait of our hearts. It is never satisfied. Once satiated, the hunger doesn’t go away. It merely goes from one hunger to another. It is always hungry. Like a drug addict going from one high to the next, one trying to satisfy the hunger of the heart goes from one moment of elation to the next.

But, the moments of elation come interspersed between periods of anguish and devastation.

Yet, no matter how awful and devastating life gets, the moments of elation and pleasure keep one on the hook.

We have a heart problem. Our hearts stink. Our hearts are unreliable. We can’t trust our hearts.

There is but one cure for our heart problem. We need a new heart. And that is exactly what God promises.

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. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

We have a heart problem.

God has a heart solution.

Ready for a heart transplant?

The scriptures encourage us to “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5-8).

Here’s the thing:

• I want to be effective and productive as a follower of Jesus Christ
• I want to grow and add to my faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love

I want to grow in these areas. I would love to be a more effective question. The thing frustrating about passages like this is I don’t know how.

• How do I add something I don’t have in my life?
• How do I add self-control when I don’t have it?
• How do I add perseverance when I don’t have it?
• How do I add godliness when I don’t have it?

It’s not that I don’t want these things. I want it. Really bad. But how do I add something to my life that I don’t already have? So frustrating!!! Right?

Aha!

You see, this is a trick. The devil wants to frustrate us so we quit in despair.

Think about it.

Three words: practice, effort, and constancy.

If you are not strong and you want to get stronger, how do you add strength? If you want to get stronger, you have to get in the gym and work out. Not just once. But you have to keep at it. And in time, you have strength that you did not have before. You are stronger.

Practice. Effort. Constancy.

If you are not proficient in a particular skill or procedure, how do you add proficiency?

Practice. Effort. Constancy. And in time, you have more proficiency that you did not have before.

Spiritual realities are the same. How do we add faith, goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love?

Practice. Effort. Constancy.

A Christmas Parable – Author Unknown

Years ago, there was a very wealthy man who, with his devoted young son, shared a passion for art collecting. Together they traveled around the world, adding only the finest art treasures to their collection. Priceless works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet and many others adorned the walls of the family estate. The widowed father looked on with satisfaction as his only child became an experienced art collector. But the day came when war engulfed the nation, and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram that his beloved son had been killed while carrying a fellow soldier to a medic.

On Christmas morning a knock came at the door of the old man’s home, and as he opened the door, he was greeted by a soldier with a large package in his hand. He introduced himself to the man by saying, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.”

“I want to give you this.”

As the old man unwrapped the package, the paper gave way to reveal a portrait of his son. Though the art critics would never consider the work a piece of genius, the painting did feature the young man’s face in striking detail, and seemed to capture his personality.

The following spring, the old man became ill and passed away. The art world was in anticipation! According to the will of the old man, all of the art works would be auctioned.

The day soon arrived, and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. The auction began with a painting that was not on any museum’s list. It was the painting of the man’s son.

The auctioneer asked for an opening bid. The room was silent.

“Who will open the bidding with $100?” he asked.

Minutes passed with not a sound from those who came to buy. From the back of the room someone callously called out, “Who cares about that painting? It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s forget it and go on to the important paintings.”

There were other voices which echoed in agreement. But the auctioneer replied, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?”

Finally, a friend of the old man spoke. “I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it. I will bid the $100.”

“I have a bid for $100,” called the auctioneer. “Will anyone go higher?” After a long silence, the auctioneer said, “Going once. Going twice. Gone.”

The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone was heard to say, “Now we can get on with it!”

But the auctioneer looked at the audience and announced the auction was over. Stunned disbelief quieted the room.

Someone spoke up and asked, “What do you mean it’s over? We didn’t come here for a picture of some old guy’s son. What about all of these paintings? There are millions of dollars worth of art here! We demand that you explain what’s going on!”

The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the father, whoever takes the son… gets it all.”

Whoever takes the Son, gets it all!

Merry Christmas!

Pastor James <><