AUGUST 16

Ephesians 3:17

IS JESUS IN YOUR HEART?

“Wow!” Brent’s eyes were wide with excitement. His parents had just explained to him and his little brother Sammy that the doctors had decided Grandpa should have a heart transplant as soon as a donor could be found. “It’s amazing what doctors have learned to do,”said Dad.“We must remember, though, that it’s a very dangerous operation and not always successful. Let’s pray for Grandpa and trust the Lord for the outcome.”

“But what if Grandpa has the heart transplant and then dies anyway?” Sammy asked anxiously. “He wouldn’t go to heaven.”

Everyone turned and looked at Sammy curiously. “Why do you say that?” asked Mom. “Of course Grandpa would go to heaven. He loves Jesus.”

“But my Sunday school teacher says we won’t go to heaven unless we have Jesus in our hearts,” replied Sammy, “so if Grandpa gets a diFFerent heart, he won’t be a Christian anymore, will he?”

“Didn’t she explain what she meant by having Jesus in your heart?” asked Dad. Sammy just shrugged. “Well,” said Dad, “think of it like this, Sammy. 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?”

“I guess... I guess it means you love me a whole lot,” suggested Sammy. 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 we believe Jesus loves us, and we love Him, too. When we trust Him to forgive our sins, we say He comes into our hearts. His Spirit dwells in us-not in our physical hearts, but in our lives. He’s with us all the time, and we look to Him to direct us. So... no matter what physical heart is inside Grandpa’s body, Grandpa loves Jesus and belongs to Him. Okay?”

Sammy nodded. “Okay,” he said. He smiled. “I feel better now.”

Thought: Do you have Jesus in your heart?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You that Jesus is in my heart. I pray I would subject myself to Him and be a better Christian and child everyday. In His precious name I pray – amen.