Jesus welcomed the people, taught them about the Kingdom of God and healed those in need. Luke 9:11

Seeds of the Kingdom

Expose the Decay

by Diane Watson

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Jeremiah 17:9, NIV

Recently I have had a lot of dental work done. I have had major dental work over the past 20 years; root canal treatment, crowns, teeth out. My teeth looked OK, but underneath each crown, decay had crept in and undermined the tooth. The poor dentist is in despair, for each time he looks under a crown he is met with decay.

It reminds me of the Christian life. On the outside appearance we may look FINE. On the inside we may feel "Fearful, Insecure, Neurotic & Emotional". We may put on the happy face but just under the surface our lives are full of decay (sin).

Sometimes we are not even aware it is there, until God allows our circumstances to show us what is really in our hearts. The cap comes off and the decay is exposed.

God wants to heal us and expose our hearts so that we can become more like Jesus. As my dentist works away at my teeth he is eventually replacing them with teeth that cannot decay. God wants to replace the lies and the deceit in our hearts with truth so that we can be shining vessels for Him. Dental work is painful and costly. So too is bringing health to our hearts, but the end results are worth it.

Prayer: Father God, please expose the decay in our hearts so that it can be cleaned out and restored to be more like Jesus. We understand that it will be painful and costly, but, Lord Jesus, for your sake, it is worth it. Amen.

Diane Watson is Deputy Centre Director of Ellel Pierrepont. Her husband Paul is Centre Director of Pierrepont and Regional Director of Australia Pacific and India. They have 4 adult children and 8 grandchildren. Diane had the vision for the first Australian Ellel Centre at Gilbulla, near Sydney, and was its Centre Director for the first 5 years.

 

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