New Hearts and New Beginnings

2 Corinthians 3:1-18

New International Version (NIV)

Have you ever wanted to stop, just stop everything in your life that felt wrong, and start all over again?  I am reminded of a child's toy; one most of us played with at some point, the Etch A Sketch. 

This popular toy encouraged the artist in each of us to try our hand at drawing or writing.  This artful toy, created in 1960 is still popular today. Children and adults too, learned how to try their hand at creating.  If a mistake were made you simply erased it and started over.

When we make a mistake, even a really big one, it would be so nice to just erase all memory of the error and begin again.  Life at times is difficult and filled with trouble and tragedy. We often just want to erase the past 24 or 48 hours and start living life with a fresh new canvas.

Paul teaches the people that this fresh new beginning is a reality because of Jesus. His death gave us a way to tilt our lives forward, shake them a little bit, and then start over with a clean slate. The heart of Jesus, in the form of forgiveness, provides for this.  

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. (2 Corinthians 3:3)

This process is called conversion. It is the work of God's Spirit. We do not become believers by following some manual or using some technique. Our conversion is a result of God's implanting his Spirit in our heart, giving us new power to live for him; the opportunity to shake our lives up and begin again.

2 Corinthians 3:1-18