Ezekiel 36:26 - I Will Give You A New Heart And Put A New Spirit In You.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV) 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.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NLT) And I will give you a new heart, and I will
put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart
and give you a tender, responsive heart.
Ezekiel 36:26 (NCV) Also, I will teach you to respect me
completely, and I will put a new way of thinking inside you. I will take out
the stubborn hearts of stone from your bodies, and I will give you
obedient hearts of flesh.
COMMENTARY PEARL
I can't resist a bargain, especially in a craft store.
Recently I went to one with my sister. Shelves in a corner held beads and
other items. I didn't need anything, but my sister and I rummaged
through the bins anyway. And I found something on my mental shopping
list: polymer clay. I used to have scads of the stuff but had given it
away. Now I needed some to adapt a traditional bee feeder for use with
a Kenyan hive. Polymer clay is firm but softens with hand-kneading
and holds its shape after baking.
I found out at home why the clay was on sale. It was almost
too old to be malleable. When my fingers got tired, my husband took
a turn. Sore-handed, I shaped the pieces and heated them. I had no
use for the rest - kept longer, the clay would be useless.
When the disciples asked Jesus why He taught the people with
parables, He said, this people's heart has become calloused; they
hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise
they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with
their hearts and turn, and I would heal them" (Matthew 13:15, NIV).
My heart, too, grows dull with disuse. I skim past a familiar
Bible verse. I daydream when I think I know where the pastor is going
with a sermon. There's a common thread here. Me. Turned inward. My
heart closed to what Jesus might want to reveal.
O Jesus, keep me soft. Give me a tender, responsive heart. by
Susanna Davenport [Mornings With Jesus 2018 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
In today's Scripture, God tells His people, "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." So what does that
mean? A heart of flesh is sensitive when it comes to sin and will
grieve over its offenses against the Lord. A heart of stone, however,
feels very little, if anything. A heart of stone is deaf to the Holy
Spirit's voice, insensible to His nudges, and unyielding to His will. But
a heart of flesh? It delights to be molded into the image of
Jesus. A stony heart just doesn't get it when people exuberantly
worship the Lord, but a heart of flesh cries out, "Oh, I love You, Lord.
Please help me to love You even more! Remember, we can't create our
own pliable, sensitive hearts. That is a precious gift from God
Himself.
Holy Spirit, I love that You often speak in a "still small
voice" (1Ki.19:12). It reminds me that surrounding myself with nonstop
noise and distractions can keep me from hearing You. You know me so
well. If You see areas where I have hardened myself, where I have
resisted You, where I have neglected to listen, show me quickly. I want a
heart of flesh! [A Spectacle of Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry
Libby]
Who Says We Cant Change?
Heres some good news. You arent stuck with todays
personality. You arent condemned to grumpydom. You are tweak-able!
So what if you were born a bigot? You dont have to die one.
Where did we get the idea we cant change? Where do
statements come from such as, Its just my nature to worry, or
Ill always be pessimistic. Im just that way. Or, I have a
bad temper. I cant help the way I react? Who says? Would we
say, its just my nature to have a broken leg. I cant do
anything about it. Of course not. If our body malfunctions, we seek
help. Shouldnt we do the same with our hearts? Cant we seek aid
for our sour attitudes? Of course we can. Jesus can change our
hearts! He wants us to have a heart like his! [Max Lucado Daily
Devotional at maxlucado.com]
Changing Our Nature
My dog Molly and I arent getting along. The problem is not
her personality. A sweeter mutt you will not find. She sees every
person as a friend and every day as a holiday. I have no problem with
Mollys attitude. I have a problem with her habits.
Eating scraps out of the trash. Licking dirty plates in the
dishwasher. Dropping dead birds on our sidewalk and stealing bones from the
neighbors dog. Shameful! Molly rolls in the grass, chews on her paw, does
her business in the wrong places, and, Im embarrassed to admit,
quenches her thirst in the toilet.
Now what kind of behavior is that?
Dog behavior, you reply.
You are right. So right. Mollys problem is not a Molly
problem. Molly has a dog problem. It is a dogs nature to do such
things. And it is her nature that I wish to change. Not just her
behavior, mind you. A canine obedience school can change what she does; I
want to go deeper. I want to change who she is.
Here is my idea: a me-to-her transfusion. The deposit of a
Max seed in Molly. I want to give her a kernel of human character.
As it grew, would she not change? Her human nature would develop,
and her dog nature would diminish. We would witness, not just a
change of habits, but a change of essence. In time Molly would be less
like Molly and more like me, sharing my disgust for trash snacking,
potty slurping, and dish licking. She would have a new nature. Why,
Denalyn might even let her eat at the table.
You think the plan is crazy? Then take it up with God. The
idea is his.
What I would like to do with Molly, God does with us. He
changes our nature from the inside out! I will put a new way of
thinking inside you. I will take out the stubborn hearts of stone from
your bodies, and I will give you obedient hearts of flesh. I will put
my Spirit inside you and help you live by my rules and carefully
obey my laws (Ezek. 36:26"27 NCV.).
God doesnt send us to obedience school to learn new
habits; he sends us to the hospital to be given a new heart. Forget
training; he gives transplants.
Do you understand what God has done? He has deposited a
Christ seed in you. As it grows, you will change. Its not that sin
has no more presence in your life, but rather that sin has no more
power over your life. Temptation will pester you, but temptation will
not master you. What hope this brings!
Its not up to you! Within you abides a budding power.
Trust him!
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to
completion until the day of Christ Jesus (Phil. 1:6 NIV.). God will do
with you what I only dream of doing with Molly. Change you from the
inside out. When he is finished, hell even let you sit at his table.
[Max Lucado Daily Devotional at maxlucado.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170604-1615.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or testimony on this
passage of Scripture, either personal or otherwise, I would be
interested in hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep uplifting
Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Musical Devotional On Christian Living:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcotY5K7T0c
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Discover Bible Studies: http://studies.itiswritten.com/discover/
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/
ABible.com: http://www.aBible.com
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
The Last Day of Prophecy by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLmGvdtMCf1aJTiC59-lPtuUMEq_uEn0BK
Restoring The Power by Pastor John Bradshaw:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRogO1SxoZN15Boa7BMon4BouVMdteVaq
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
