I have been an exerciser almost literally, all my life. It started when I was five and my dad started to take me with him to his karate lessons. Next, at age twelve came weightlifting, which continued until my first year of graduate school. At this point, I added long distance running to my routine. Running my first 25K, about 8 months after my first long distance run. So believe me, I have heard, “just one more, anyone can do something for 30 seconds, no pain, no gain. Come on, give me one more” more than enough throughout my life. I have always taken personal responsibility for my health, especially my heart health.
On June 15, 2021, all of that changed. I went to see the doctor for what I thought was gallbladder pain (which does need to be removed), but there was something much more serious going on. My EKG and my blood work indicated that I was having or had had a heart attack. I could not believe it. For the first time in my life, if my heart was going to make it, someone besides me would need to take action. Doing one more rep was not going to fix it. “Come on, give me one more,” was not going to help at all. Someone besides me would have to fix my heart. Which, thank the Lord, they did. I had a great team of health care professionals, who took exceptionally good care of me.
On that day, not so long ago, a question was asked of me I thought I would never be asked in my life, “where do you want to be transferred to in order to have your heart fixed?” Now, there are plenty of good health care systems to be transferred to, but I, without hesitation, choose the healthcare team I had absolute trust with my life. If my heart was going to get better, they would have to fix it. It would not be me.
After calming down a bit from all of this, this verse from the book of Ephesians hit me hard. It is Ephesians 2: 8,9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Maybe read that one more time in the context of, you cannot fix your own heart. Just as I learned with my physical heart, we also need to learn about our spiritual heart. There is a condition that you cannot fix, someone else must. God does not wheel us into the cath lab in order for us to figure this out, but in front of a mirror. And while you are looking at yourself, He says, I can fix that.
What exactly is God fixing you may ask. We have a sin problem, and let me assure you, “give me one more” of whatever ritual, spiritual endeavor you are thinking of is not going to do the job. If your heart is going to make it, someone else will need to fix it. His name, Jesus Christ. Just as the Emergency Room Doctor asked me, “where do you want to be transferred to?”, you must ask yourself the same question about your heart. Where do you want it transferred to? Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not asking you to transfer your heart to a church, to a cause, but to God through Jesus Christ His Son. You will love the care you receive from Him. When God, on His own volition chooses to fix your heart, this is what the Bible calls grace. And it is truly Amazing!
Amazing Grace - Todd Grover
Amazing Grace - Todd Grover
I have been an exerciser almost literally, all my life. It started when I was five and my dad started to take me with him to his karate lessons. Next, at age twelve came weightlifting, which continued until my first year of graduate school. At this point, I added long distance running to my routine. Running my first 25K, about 8 months after my first long distance run. So believe me, I have heard, “just one more, anyone can do something for 30 seconds, no pain, no gain. Come on, give me one more” more than enough throughout my life. I have always taken personal responsibility for my health, especially my heart health.
On June 15, 2021, all of that changed. I went to see the doctor for what I thought was gallbladder pain (which does need to be removed), but there was something much more serious going on. My EKG and my blood work indicated that I was having or had had a heart attack. I could not believe it. For the first time in my life, if my heart was going to make it, someone besides me would need to take action. Doing one more rep was not going to fix it. “Come on, give me one more,” was not going to help at all. Someone besides me would have to fix my heart. Which, thank the Lord, they did. I had a great team of health care professionals, who took exceptionally good care of me.
On that day, not so long ago, a question was asked of me I thought I would never be asked in my life, “where do you want to be transferred to in order to have your heart fixed?” Now, there are plenty of good health care systems to be transferred to, but I, without hesitation, choose the healthcare team I had absolute trust with my life. If my heart was going to get better, they would have to fix it. It would not be me.
After calming down a bit from all of this, this verse from the book of Ephesians hit me hard. It is Ephesians 2: 8,9. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Maybe read that one more time in the context of, you cannot fix your own heart. Just as I learned with my physical heart, we also need to learn about our spiritual heart. There is a condition that you cannot fix, someone else must. God does not wheel us into the cath lab in order for us to figure this out, but in front of a mirror. And while you are looking at yourself, He says, I can fix that.
What exactly is God fixing you may ask. We have a sin problem, and let me assure you, “give me one more” of whatever ritual, spiritual endeavor you are thinking of is not going to do the job. If your heart is going to make it, someone else will need to fix it. His name, Jesus Christ. Just as the Emergency Room Doctor asked me, “where do you want to be transferred to?”, you must ask yourself the same question about your heart. Where do you want it transferred to? Please do not misunderstand what I am saying. I am not asking you to transfer your heart to a church, to a cause, but to God through Jesus Christ His Son. You will love the care you receive from Him. When God, on His own volition chooses to fix your heart, this is what the Bible calls grace. And it is truly Amazing!