Coming soon! Within the next few weeks, there will be published a 100-day devotional based on 100 of the postings on this website. Each daily devotion has been re-written to include more dialogue, additional Scripture references, a deeper prayer, and points to think about. The focus of the book is on discipleship, going from conversion towards spiritual maturity while waiting for the train. Details of the book’s availability will be posted soon.
— S. Tory Teller
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“One of my neighbors stopped by yesterday after church,” Stan commented one Monday morning. He had a prayer request he wanted to bring to my attention.”
Continuing, he added, “My neighbor indicated there was an announcement at his church that one of the people in the church is waiting to have heart transplant surgery as soon as a suitable transplant is available. He asked me to keep that person in my prayers.”
“That’s great,” I replied. “I will pray for him as well. Not that God doesn’t know his name, but it will help me with my prayers. What’s his name?”
‘Bob,” Stan replied, and then added, “and while you’re praying for Bob, maybe you can remember to pray for all of the other people who need heart transplants.”
“All the others?” I said. “How many are you talking about?”
“I don’t know the exact number,” Stan replied, “but I know for a fact there are a lot of people who need new hearts. In many ways the Bible addresses this as having a new, clean heart.”
“In contrast to the natural heart that can tend to be a little hard and a bit dirty?” I inquired.
“That’s it, my friend,” Stan replied. “And I can testify that I was in dire need of a heart transplant before I was brought to the truth that God is in the heart-transplant business.”
“Heart-transplant business?” I repeated. “God does that?”
“He certainly does,” Stan said. “All I had to do was to give Him the heart I had, the one that was so far away from Him. He took it and replaced it with a heart that is aligned with His will so that I am who He intends, doing what He has for me to do as I follow Him.”
“Sounds to me,” I replied, “that this heart-transplant thing is kind of like discipleship. Is that a fair statement?”
“It’s not only fair and kind of like,” Stan said, “it’s very fair and exactly like!”
“One other thing,” he added. “While we keep Bob in our prayers as he waits for a physical heart transplant, let’s pray for those who need a spiritual heart transplant that they will not wait a minute longer before accepting what is freely and readily available!”
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Bible verses to consider:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances. Ezekiel 36:26-27.
As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man. Proverbs 27:19.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, that you want to create in me a clean heart that is right with you. I choose to give you all of me that is in any way contrary to you. Please take what I offer and replace it with what you have for me. Help me to continually give you all of me to be cleansed exactly as you intend so that your will and purposes will be accomplished in and through me. Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Do you agree that God is in the heart-transplant business? Why or why not? Do you regularly examine your heart to see if it is right with God? If no, why? If you do, what have you found? If you sense you may be in need of a heart transplant, by giving God the old and having Him replace it with what He wants, how is that going to happen? Do you want it to happen? Why or why not?
Waiting for the Train 