The crucible is for silver, and the furnace is for gold, and the Lord tests hearts. — Proverbs 17:3
We have a simple proverb here. But it's the imagery that makes this one so cool.
So a crucible is a small bowl that can be superheated. And in it, you put a metal substance you want to purify, like silver or gold. The furnace provides a container for the fire. So you heat a fire in a furnace in which you place the crucible to purify the metal. Thus you need a furnace, crucible, and hot fire to activate the purification process of metal in a crucible.
In comparison, there is another object — the human heart. And only the Lord can purify this. Mankind might be able to purify lifeless things, but only God can purify the heart. And by heart, we don't mean the fleshy organ that pumps blood through our body. The heart is the innermost part of man. The place where his mind, soul, will, and every desire originates. And only God can purify this.
And fellas, our heart is the ultimate cause of all impurities in this life. If we want to address any issue in this life, we have to go to the "heart" of the matter. Genesis 6:5 reads:
The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. — Genesis 6:5
The intent of our heart is evil. Thus we need God to give us a new and clean heart. Even King David understood this. After his grievous sexual sin Bethsheba, elaborate cover-up, and the subsequent murder of her husband, Uriah. David said this in one of his most famous Psalms:
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. — Psalm 51:10
You see, David intuitively understood that his problem went deeper than his behavior. It was a problem with his soul, mind, will, and desires — his heart. And he also understood that only God could address this. And David was spot on because only God can. God said in the book of Ezekiel:
And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. — Ezekiel 11:19-20
Fellas, only God can do this. And we can invite God to do this right now. To remove our calloused, stubborn, hard, selfish hearts and replace them with a new heart and new Spirit. By faith, we believe God can and will do this for every man who believes. Romans 10:9-10 says:
Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. — Romans 10:9-10
The sacrifice of God's Son, Jesus, is the heart surgery we need. Jesus's death and resurrection are the means by which we remove and replace the heart of man. Our old heart is removed. It's crucified with Jesus on the Cross. And by Jesus's resurrection, we received new life and are given a new heart. And by faith, we believe this happened and are saved. Paul said this in the book of Galatians:
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. — Galatians 2:20
If your life has not been working out as you thought, maybe it's time to try something different. Something that actually works. The only way is to ask God to remove the old heart and give you a new one. He is the only one who can do this.
If you want to do this right now, you can. Believe, confess, and be saved. And if this is the decision you want to make today, just write this below.
God, I insert your name need new life today. Take out my heart of stone and give me a new heart. Amen.
ASK THIS: Do you need a new heart or a purified heart?
DO THIS: If so, write this: God, I insert your name need new life today. Take out my heart of stone and give me a new heart. Amen.
PRAY THIS: God, by faith, I believe you died and rose again. I call you my Lord and Savior. Amen
PLAY THIS: Chris Tomlin - Resurrection Power.
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I Need A Heart Transplant | Devotional | Proverbs 17:3
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