S17P5 – When Jesus walked in: the new heart
Eze. 36:25-26
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
This is a prophecy about the restoration of the Israelites to the father. However, it does not apply only to the restored nation of Israel. It carries an allusion to the words of Jesus that tell us only those who are born of water and the Spirit can enter the kingdom of God [John 3:5]. It also echos the previous scripture in this series in its promise that God will cause a new spirit to live within us. This is a prophecy for those who are restored to the Father, and it tells of an exchange of the heart that only God can bring about.
Before salvation, our hearts are stone. They are hard, cold, unbending and proud. The stone heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick [Jer. 17:9]. The heart is critical to the Christian as it is the place from whence the mouth speaks [Matt. 12:34] and springs of life flow [Pro. 4:23]. Out of the heart of flesh come goodness and life. It is with the heart that one believes and with the mouth that one confesses that faith. The heart of flesh, inclined toward God, is transformed as a result of faith by the hand of God himself. The heart that once spoke death and chased sin is gone; it has not been changed but replaced. If you have placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior, a completely new heart beats within you now.
When God cleansed us from our impurities, He also delivered us from our evil hearts. Our hearts are now inclined to him, bringing life instead of death, speaking love instead of hate. The old heart has been cast aside by God himself, allowing us to now feel as He feels and love as He loves. Our hearts are now soft, warm, pliable and teachable. Father, thank You for the new hearts that You have given us, that we may love as You love and be willing and eager to learn more of your ways daily, and that we may desire to speak forth from these hearts love and life to all around us.