A New Heart

Bible Reading: Romans 10:9-13

“A heart transplant?” Jesse asked with wide eyes. His parents had just explained to him and his younger brother, Marcus, that the doctors had decided Grandpa should have a heart transplant as soon as a donor could be found.

Dad nodded. “It’s amazing what doctors can do these days, but we must remember that it’s a dangerous operation and isn’t always successful. Let’s pray for Grandpa and trust God for the outcome.”

“But wait a minute! What if Grandpa has the heart transplant and then dies anyway?” Marcus asked anxiously. “He wouldn’t go to heaven.”

Everyone turned and looked at Marcus curiously. “Why do you say that?” asked Mom. “Of course Grandpa would go to heaven—he’s a Christian.”

“Yeah. Grandpa loves Jesus,” said Jesse. “He said he trusted Jesus as his Savior when he was just a kid, remember?”

“But my teacher at church says we won’t go to heaven unless we have Jesus in our hearts,” replied Marcus. “So if Grandpa gets a different heart, he won’t be a Christian anymore, will he?”

“Didn’t your teacher explain what she meant by having Jesus in your heart?” asked Dad. Marcus just shrugged. “Well,” said Dad, “think of it like this, Marcus. You have a big place in my heart, but that doesn’t mean you’re actually inside my physical heart.” Dad placed his hand on his chest. “You don’t crawl around in the organ beating inside here. So what do you think it means when I say you’re in my heart?”

“I don’t know…I guess it means you love me a whole lot,” said Marcus.

Dad nodded. “Right. It’s like that when we talk about having Jesus in our hearts. We don’t mean our physical hearts then either. We mean that we know Jesus loves us, and we love Him too. When we trust Him to forgive our sins, we say He comes into our hearts—not into our physical hearts, but into our lives. He’s with us all the time, and we look to Him for help and direction. So no matter what physical heart is inside Grandpa’s body, Grandpa loves Jesus and belongs to Him. Does that make sense?”

Marcus smiled and nodded. “I feel better now.” • Hazel W. Marett

How About You?

Do you have Jesus in your heart? In the Bible, the word heart refers to your innermost being—the place where your thoughts, feelings, and desires come from. The Bible says our hearts are sinful, which is why we need Jesus to free us from sin and change the way we think and the things we desire. When we trust in Him, He comes into our hearts—not physically but spiritually. Trust Him to change your heart today. (To learn more, click the “Good News!” button in the right column of this page.)

Today’s Key Verse:
Ephesians 3:17 Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Let Jesus live in you