Sometimes appliances or other items have so much wrong with them, or they are so outdated, that they aren’t worth fixing, or they can’t be fixed. They simply have to be replaced. God once promised, speaking through the prophet Jeremiah, that the hearts of the children of God would be replaced with a new heart. Upon this new heart, the word of God would be inscribed, permanently branded. When God’s word is on our hearts, we know to whom we belong.
The days are coming when we will get a new heart. The days are coming when we will belong to God. The days are coming when Christ Jesus, the very word of God, will live within us. The Old Testament refrain will be our heart’s song: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
When this day arrives for us, we become Christians. We might ask: “what does that have to do with my DAILY LIFE?”
First, a true story: Puccini was one of the greatest composers of Italian opera. When he began his last opera, he was dying of cancer. In fact, he died before the opera was completed. As he was dying, the last word he said was to a student: “Remember.” The student interpreted that to mean that the work of the master was to be remembered, even the unfinished opera. So this student worked with other students to complete the opera.
It was performed in Milan on April 25, 1926, conducted by the great Toscanini. At the end of the first scene of Act 3, Toscanini abruptly stopped the music. He laid down his baton, turned to the audience with tears, and announced, “At this point, the maestro died.” The silence was stunning. Then, Toscanini picked up his baton and made a triumphant announcement, “His students have completed his work.” The opera continued.
When we have God’s word on our hearts, we understand, we dare to believe, that we are called to continue the work that God has set forth for us in Christ Jesus. With changed hearts, we continue the work the Christ started! This is our daily work.
We love one another. We love our enemies. We serve the poor and needy. We give and receive God’s forgiveness. We are compassionate. We, figuratively, wash one another’s feet. Please take the time regularly to discover this continuing work as recorded in the Holy Bible!
The days are coming when the students, the disciples, of Jesus Christ will continue his work. Those days are now!
One Response
Wow! I love this devotion! What a great parallel to Puccini and his students! Yes, now is the time! I’d like to share this with my Small Group.