Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will
put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give
you a heart of flesh.
In Dr. Seuss's classic Christmas tale, How the Grinch
Stole Christmas, the Grinch suffers from having a small heart. The source of
his heart problem is his lack of understanding the meaning of Christmas. As the
story goes, the Grinch tries to put a stop to Christmas, but in the end, he
comes to understand what Christmas is all about and his heart grows three
sizes! This heart change makes a big difference in his life.
I'm not sure what Dr. Seuss' intentions were when he
wrote the story back in 1957, but I think it comes across as a Christian
parable that shows the change that takes place in a person's life when he or
she comes to understand the true meaning of Christmas: the birth of Jesus,
God's Son, who was born to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When
the light of the Good News of Jesus dawns upon the heart of a person, God
replaces the old heart of stone, with a new, fleshy heart - and a new person
emerges. As the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he
is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians
5:17)
We celebrate Christmas because of the power Jesus brought
to change our hearts.
Dear Lord, we thank You that You can change our hearts.
Help us this Christmas season to let Your love flow through our heart so those
around us can see You in us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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