Body
A NEW HEART. In 2023, a record 4,039 heart transplants were performed in the U.S. As we might expect, each one comes at a significant cost. There are many variables, but total costs can exceed $1.5 million per transplant, which, on average, gives a person another nine years of life. However, only some qualify to get a new heart. You must be under age 70 and not have advanced kidney, lung, or liver disease. You also can't have cancer, be obese, or have uncontrolled diabetes, among other things. What a ginormous difference it is for the spiritual 'heart'! God promised in the Old Testament that one day in the future, 'A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you' (Eze. 36:26). God doesn't limit transplants of spiritual hearts. Anyone can get a 'new heart'! And there aren't any age or health exclusions. The only requirement is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, a person can gain a spiritual 'new heart' one second before their physical heart stops beating. That 'new heart' is a heart that believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, resulting in eternal life. The Apostle John quoted Jesus, who said, 'He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' (John 7:38). A changed heart comes from a changed belief. When someone asked Jesus, 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law,' He answered, saying, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind' (Matt. 22:36-27). It's a changed belief that gives a person a changed heart and enables them to truly love God and others (22:39). Another ginormous difference is the cost. Yes, $1.5 million is an almost unfathomable amount for most of us. But how do we even begin to put a price tag on a spiritual heart transplant? It was God the Son who gave His life so that sinners could gain a new heart! Infinitely priceless love indeed!