How's That Do-Over Working Out?

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 
-Psalm 51:10

Last week, the story hit the news about the tragic death of a teenage heart transplant recipient. Only a year after receiving his transplant, he died while he was fleeing from police in a stolen car. He had allegedly burglarized a house and fired a gun at the elderly homeowner before fleeing from the cops. My first thoughts when reading this was, “How awful! How could he do that? What a stupid thing to do!”

There were thousands of other people on the transplant list who could have benefited from that heart.
About a month after the transplant, the young man had himself said that the new heart would help him stay out of trouble. He rejoiced over what he called his "second chance".

While we can look at his case and comment on how foolish he is, we should take a look at ourselves. If we’re Christians, then we’ve got a new heart. We’ve got a new spirit, the Holy Spirit of God, living within us. We get to start over with a clean slate. We don’t just get a new heart…we get an entirely new life. We get to be born again. It’s the ultimate do-over!

But how are we using that do-over. Are we just “doing over” the same old things we've always done? Are we stuck in the same habits, slaves to the same addictions? Are we still running on the hamster-wheel of sin and its consequences?

Consider today that if your DO-OVER looks a lot like the life you’re supposed to be DONE WITH, then some serious change needs to take place. Don’t fall back into the same old life.

Just like that teen, you have a new heart, a second chance that many people never experience. Don’t waste it!