A Faulty Icemaker
Ice cubes are a wonderful invention. Until, that is, they rebelliously band together into a solid, rock-hard block! At work, my old icemaker emptied the ice cubes into a freezer bin. Occasionally, the cubes would melt slightly and then refreeze into a hard, chunky ice sculpture. Trying to break off two cubes for a drink required an ice pick, a strong arm, and lots of patience! It was easier to dump the block of ice in the sink and wait for the icemaker to start dropping new cubes.
So that’s what I often did.
But there’s an easier way to break up this rock-hard, ice sculpture. Simply turn on the tap. Cold water drills holes in the ice. Brute force is totally unnecessary. Often the frozen block filled the sink, but it didn’t matter. Running water melted the ice block in minutes.
A Heart of Ice
The Bible speaks of hearts hardened by sin. Sometimes we get discouraged when we pray for a loved one’s salvation or for a believer whose heart is hard in a certain area. Our emotions tell us, “They’re never going to change—what’s the use of praying?” Despair drains us of our hope. Discouraged, we stop asking God to intervene.
Years ago, I was praying for a Christian friend’s hard heart and had to stop praying. Because I was just saying meaningless words. I suddenly realized I had zero faith that God could do anything to change my fellow believer’s wayward attitude.
You see, my faith tank was empty.
Stunned, I cried out to God for help: “Lord, I don’t have any faith for this!” Immediately, I saw a mental image of tap water melting a large chunk of ice in the sink. New faith flowed in as I pictured my friend’s heart being made of ice, instead of hard rock.
I believe the Holy Spirit can melt an icy heart, a heart that’s cold and indifferent to Him. Perhaps you do too. Think about it. Redemption, salvation, repentance—all of these changes happen inside us because the Almighty wills it.
God’s main work on earth is transforming hard hearts.
It’s His specialty.
When My Faith Tank is Empty
What do I do when my car runs out of gas? I go back to the gas station and fill up again. Or if people have an electric car, they stop by a charging station. It’s the same when I have little or no faith.Let us keep looking to Jesus. Our faith comes from Him and He is the One Who makes it perfect. He did not give up when He had to suffer shame and die on a cross. He knew of the joy that would be His later. Now He is sitting at the right side of God.(Hebrews 12:2 NLV New Life Version)
My Spiritual Point:
Resources:
This post is republished with permission from the Christian Devotions website. Each day a different author’s devotion is featured, along with an image and bio. If you’re a beginning writer, study the guidelines and submit a devotion. I did. This website, christiandevotions.us published the first devotion I ever wrote. It was the start of my writing career.
