Today’s Reading, Ezekiel 9-12
Focal Scripture: Ezekiel 11:19-20 “I will give them integrity of heart and put a new spirit within them; I will remove their heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh, so that they will follow my statutes, keep my ordinances, and practice them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”
Undergoing change is a process that is exciting but also painful. It is exciting because you know that at some point in the future you will accomplish a goal you have set for yourself. This means you will grow mentally, spiritually, emotionally and come away as a more mature person. It also means to grow in these ways you will have to deny yourself and examine what needs to be surrendered to the Lord. This process is painful because when you cut away part of yourself you have to admit you didn’t have it all together. I know personally I have experienced that a lot lately. I have experienced much physical change and it has affected me in ways I was not expecting. Even though I am way healthier than I have been in years it has not been a pleasant journey at times.
In today’s reading we see that Israel is going to be restored in the future. The people are told through the prophet Ezekiel that they will be given a new spirit and a new heart. The purpose of this change is to remove their heart of stone so they would worship the Lord with all that they have in their lives. A heart transplant spiritually is amazing but it is also painful. The pain comes from realizing the effects of your sin on yourself and others. In this context the people of Israel will be able to see the damage their hard hearts caused the nation and them personally.
I want to say that having your heart changed by the Lord is the greatest gift we will ever receive. It allows us to go from death to life. If our hearts were not softened we would never respond to the gospel. We would never be sensitive to sin. The purpose of having a new heart is to make sure we are aligned to the will of God. Our fleshly hearts want to serve our own needs but our new hearts want to serve the master. It has a new allegiance.
So has your heart been changed? That is the easiest way to find out if you are a believer or a pretender. If your heart is hard and you are not convicted of sin you have a heart of stone. If you can despise fellow believers and have malicious intent for them you need a heart transplant. That is the good news is this verse. Just as God is going to give Israel a new heart he will also give you a new heart.
All you have to do is admit you are a sinner and give your heart of stone to the Lord. He will then perform spiritual surgery on you and give you what only he has in his possession, a new heart. This is a major change but it allows us to live the Christian life in God’s power. Today is the day to decide if you have met the God of the Bible who changes hearts or if you just have a head knowledge of God. If your heart is not new you are still on the throne in your life. Ask God to give you a heart of flesh and see the difference.
Tomorrow, I plan on reading Ezekiel 13-15
