by Marilyn Ehle
“I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart…” Ezekiel 11:19 (New Living Translation)
After much research into which was most recommended, I purchased a small toaster oven. It cost a bit more than others, but was manufactured by a respected company and came with what I thought was an ironclad guarantee. It worked well for months. And then one day, the small door wouldn’t completely close. I gave it a forceful push and the door slipped into place. A few days later, however, the door again gaped open. This time nothing I did solved the problem. Perhaps a screw was loose in the door?
In our town is a small shop that specializes in the repair of such appliances so I shook out the crumbs, polished the surface and placed the oven in my car. My trusty repairman sadly shook his head when I explained the problem. “I’m sorry, but the manufacturer has made this oven in such a way that the door cannot be removed. You will have to send it back to the factory.”
“What about the replacement guarantee?” I asked. “Oh, that guarantee is very limited. It doesn’t apply to the door.”
God’s guarantees are not limited. He promises to replace our stony, stubborn hearts with those that are tender and responsive. The Apostle Paul wrote, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
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