Friday, September 21, 2012

Pouring on the tenderizer


I love to cook on our grill.  For Father’s Day last year, my family bought me a nice, stainless steel one that sits in the corner of our porch, and we use it at least twice a week.  I’ve gotten pretty good over the years, but the success of what happens on the grill is dependent on what happens to the meat before it’s grilled.  There is preparation that goes before the grilling.  You don’t just throw a nice steak, chicken breast, or hamburger on the grill without first seasoning it and pouring on the tenderizer.

Tenderizing beef is an art.  Some marinate it in a sauce.  Some pound it with a wood mallet.  Some add seasoning that works itself into the meat over time; all three making it ready for the grill.  The more tender the meat, the better it will cook and taste.  The key to a great barbeque isn’t just the grill — it starts with preparation.

This semester, we’re living into four phrases that will shape our conversation.  The four phrases are:  “I will sprinkle clean water on you;” “I will give you a new heart;” “I will remove your heart of stone;” “I will give you a heart of flesh.”  These are promises.  Like I shared yesterday in chapel, our rescue from the circumstances we find ourselves in isn’t dependent on us.  That is good news.  We can depend on God to do what He does best — rescuing and changing hearts.

At times, I have found myself turning this promise into a prayer.

I’ve prayed for students in my youth group whose hearts have grown hard, that God would change their hearts, chipping away the hard, crusty exterior, and giving them a soft, fleshy one.  I’ve prayed this for family members, and found myself praying for some of you this summer.  For some, you need a fresh sprinkling, assuring you that God is with you no matter what you face.  For others, you need a new heart, a fresh start, a new beginning.  And still for others, you need radical surgery done, removing a heart of stone, and replacing it with a heart of flesh. 

So as we begin this semester, I’m praying that God pour His “spiritual tenderizer” on us, softening our hearts, so when He speaks, we listen.

Text for the week:  Ezekiel 36:24-26




 [PR2]What does this mean?

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