The 'New' Crayons

~~~ Ezekiel 18:1-10, 13B, 30-32 ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 19:13-15 ~~~

Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed,

and make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.

It is a miracle that modern medicine has discovered

 a way to literally give a human being a 'new' heart.

Technically I guess it is not really a 'new' heart

 since it comes from a donor...

another human being

 that for some reason will no longer need their heart.

God presents us the possibility of making ourselves a new heart.

Along with the new heart you may just get the added
bonus of a new spirit too.

Do you like new things? Most people do.

I remember every summer right before school began

 shopping for those 'new' school clothes.

I still enjoy the 'new' notebooks and school supplies.

What about 'new' crayons? Nothing better.

They look so beautiful all perfectly lined up in their box,

each with that carefully point.

I actually knew an art teacher who would make the kids

 tear the paper off of the crayons,

and if that wasn't bad enough 

then they had to break them in half.

Her theory was; they would be able to use the crayons

 to create in more creative ways. Ugh!

Create a clean heart in me, O God.

The psalmist is asking God to make his heart 'clean'.

Certainly God would do a better job with our heart then we could.

God can see what really needs to be done.

Perhaps a deep cleaning will suffice.

Perhaps we don't really need a 'new' heart. 

The dentist told my friend that his teeth needed
a 'deep' cleaning, 

like beneath the gum line.

That sounds very unpleasant to me, 

but if God would just 'deep 'clean my heart

 I would be so grateful. 

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them;

for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

Jesus wants the apostles to let the little children come to him.

The Kingdom of heaven belongs to them

 because they are the ones with the 'new' hearts.

They are the ones with the 'clean' hearts.

The older we get the more we mess up our heart.

Luckily God reminds us several times a year

to allow him to create a clean heart for us.

He does not tell us it will be a pleasant experience,

just like the dentist does not give any details

 about that 'deep' cleaning procedure.

Blessed with options...

a 'new' heart or a 'clean' heart.

Which would you prefer?

Pray with Psalm 51 and then decide.

~~~Peace~~~