In His book, “Growing Strong,” Chuck Swindoll recalled an evening he spent in a large stone house on the west side of Houston, Texas. He and his wife enjoyed an evening of food and fellowship: “The smell of char-broiled T-bones drifted through the rooms. Ladies laughed in the kitchen as they fussed around with ranch-style baked beans, a variety of salads, and homemade pies. Everybody knew everybody. An easy, relaxing atmosphere made you want to kick off your shoes…”
As he listened to one of the guys sharing a fishing story about a big bass that got away (“It must have been ten to twelve pounds”), Swindoll noticed some writing on the face of a mantle, over a fireplace. Intrigued, he got up from where he was seated and walked over for a closer look. Here’s what it said: “If your heart is cold, my fire cannot warm it.”
How true. The glow of a crackling fireplace creates a mood that’s warm and inviting, but if a person’s heart is cold, a fireplace will not warm it. Nor is a cold heart warmed by many things that people pursue. A four-car garage filled with an SUV, a sports car, a pickup and a speedboat won’t warm a cold heart. Winning the lottery and coming into millions of dollars won’t do it. Not even landing a 10-pound bass will do it.
So what will warm a cold heart? The kindling of the Gospel of Jesus Christ ignited within us by the Holy Spirit. When we know and rely on God’s sacrificial, eternal life-giving love, revealed supremely in the living, dying and rising of Jesus, His love warms our hearts.
On a small scale, we see this when we give presents on occasions like birthdays and weddings. Those who receive gifts are happy if they are given what they wanted. But it’s not the gifts themselves but the love behind the gifts that warms hearts. It’s cliché but true: it’s the thought that counts.
On a cosmic scale, we see this in the Gospel. The Bible says that “God so loved the world…” So loved! So much that He gave His Son. So much that His Son became flesh and lived among us. So much that His Son came to seek and to save that which was lost. Though He despised the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:2) Jesus prayed, “Thy will be done…” and took on Himself the punishment our sins deserve. That’s love!
Imagine that you have a friend who has been convicted for a capital crime like murder. Your friend will spend the rest of his life behind bars. He might be executed. If it were possible, would you take your friend’s punishment so he could go free? You might do so if you knew your friend was innocent. But what if you knew your friend was guilty as charged?
Look for yourself in these verses from Romans 5. “At just the right time, when we were powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
We were powerless to save ourselves. We were still sinners. But wonder of wonders: God demonstrated His love for guilty us, and reconciled us to Himself through the death of His Son. (Romans 5:10)
What about you? Is there room in your heart for this life-changing, hope-giving, love-revealing truth? I hope so! It will do for you something that no cozy fireplace or expensive present or bucket-list experience will do. It will warm your heart forever!
What will warm your Heart?
Subhead
Built on a Rock
By
By Pastor Roger Sparks, Luverne Christian Reformed Church