One of the amazing feats of our modern medical establishment involves transplanting organs from one person to another. The first successful heart transplant took place in 1967. Today surgeons perform around 5,000 heart transplants every year. Include all organ transplants (kidney, liver, lungs and pancreas) and the list approaches 50,000. We live in a favored age.

God spoke to the people of Israel and urged them to undergo a transplant. Having pursued other gods, even to the point of burning their children alive as sacrifices, these Hebrews possessed hearts clogged with evil and massed with the scar tissue of self-indulgence. For years they flipped the Lord their middle finger. Yet God invited them back.

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign Lord. Repent and live!

The Lord urged his people to return to him again and again. God takes no joy in the demise of anyone. He wants all to turn to him in repentance. Despite their heinous acts, the Lord extended the invitation to turn and find life.

It’s never too late. Even the worst of us (and we all fit into that category at one time or another) can humbly approach the Lord and receive a new spirit and a new heart.

Ezekiel 18:31-32

Photo by Bekky Bekks

The canard on the God of the Old Testament centers around claims of fury and vindictiveness. Why would God encourage the slaughter of the nations Israel displaced from the promised land? Then again, why would God allow the slaughter of Israel when he later drummed them out of the same land? One thing for sure, don’t trifle with this God.

But a later psalmist pointed to another aspect of the Old Testament God. During the hopeful return to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile, the writer expounded on God’s goodness:

The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.

Notice the tenderness of this Old Testament God. Those who hurt and suffer garner his attention. The One who gave every single uncountable star its name also knows you and me by name. Regardless of my station or circumstances the Lord stays by me and cares for me.

Dig deeper into the God of the Old Testament. Don’t believe the skeptics. Jesus didn’t—he declined to ignore a single jot or tittle from the Hebrew scriptures. The more I read through the Bible (this year makes 32 times cover to cover), the more insight I gain into the coherence and combination of both testaments, and the more I appreciate our amazing God.

Psalm 147:3-6

Photo by avidan yoram

I like junk food as much as anyone. Few things better than a sugary beverage or a mega-sized candy bar. But my body calls for more substantive fare. My soul does so as well.

After magnificent visions of angels and the heavenly throne, the Lord handed Ezekiel a scroll containing words of lamentation, mourning and woe. He then instructed, “Son of man, eat whatever you find here. Eat this scroll, and go, speak to the house of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he gave me this scroll to eat. And he said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly with this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.

Ezekiel literally ate the words of God. He then spoke to his people, teaching the Lord’s ways and warning about spurning their God. But he only did so after ingesting this divine scroll.

I’m reminded to fill my belly with God’s words. To ruminate on them, and let his scroll sustain me. This nourishment builds strong character and a healthy inner self. From these vitamins of wisdom and fortitude I develop the strength to speak of the Lord.

Good words lead to a good life. Eat the scroll. It’s as sweet as honey, both on your tongue and in your soul.

Ezekiel 3:1-3

Photo by Patrycja Jadach

When I played football in high school I wanted to gain weight. As a skinny kid I needed more heft to compete. So I ate all I could—peanut butter, quarter-pounders, ice cream. Nothing seemed to pack on the pounds. Years later I discovered the secret to gaining weight—age. Now I breath in the scent of a milkshake and gain a couple pounds. As they say, youth is wasted on the young.

Similar to those prep days, I’m often in need of learning new ways to grow and develop. How do I show this video during a webinar, and can this software translate the English into French? How do I program my thermostat? Why is that alarm beeping in my car? Not to mention the more important aspects of exercise and eating well and honoring my wife.

Peter reminds us of the most important area of personal development: But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

How do you and I grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?

We spend time with other followers of Jesus. Christianity is a communal religion, best lived and practiced with others. Join a good church, study the Bible with fellow believers, enjoy meals together and build friendships around your bonds of faith.

Speaking of the Bible, God’s word is essential to growing in the goodwill and awareness of God. The Scriptures carry the authentic words and teachings of Jesus. Lean into them and ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate their truth.

Finally, take up the work of prayer. Ask the Lord to fill you with understanding. God’s favor and familiarity flow from moving closer to him. I find prayer extremely challenging and yet deeply rewarding. Go to the Lord with your desire to grow.

You and I don’t gain anything by taking a passive approach to our personal development, being it losing weight or learning a new skill. Neither does passivity serve our life of faith. Step out towards growth, and deepen your relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

2 Peter 3:18

Photo by Kyle Glenn