Even though
I’m a coffee freak I like the occasional cup of tea. My favorites are Lemon
Zinger and Green Tea. If you were to look at a tea bag, it might be hard to
tell what type of tea it is, but when you put it in hot, boiling water you can
quickly tell what’s inside. So it is in when we’re put in stressful situations
which are the “hot water” of our lives.
You see, it
not the “hot water’s” fault or the cup you’re steeped in that causes you to
speak or act in certain ways. It starts in your heart. Jesus said, For
it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come--sexual
immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy,
slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a
person." (Mark 7:21-23 NIV). Truth is, we need a new “tea bag.” We
need a new heart… the heart of Jesus.
Here’s the
Good News. When we turn from our sin and turn to God and believe on Jesus
Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, God gives us a brand new heart. The
Bible says, 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 NIV).
Our desires
change because we received a new heart… a soft heart that desires God’s ways
and not our ways. When that happens, Jesus’ life begins to be lived through us.
That’s the Good News.
If you are a
follower of Jesus Christ and you’re still having trouble living for him, maybe
there’s something you’re holding on to that’s keeping you from living out of
the heart He gave you. This is a daily choice. Daily we are to surrender our
will and way to Him and live from the heart He has given us through Jesus
Christ.
So what’s
keeping you from living the life God has given to you through His Son? Are you
willing to give up your old heart for a new heart that only God can give? When
you do, get ready to see what comes out of your life. You will find that you
will begin to speak and act like Jesus. His life will come seeping through,
especially in the hot water situations in your life. It’s tea time.
