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Ezekiel 36:26-27 - I Will Give You a New Heart and Put a New Spirit in You.Ezekiel 36:26-27 (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. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.Ezekiel 36:26-27 (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. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations. WORD STUDY New Heart. When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart? - a changed life. SD100 Heart of Flesh. "Flesh" in the OT is often a symbol for weakness and frailty (Isa 31:3); in the NT it often stands for the sinful nature as a God-opposing force (as in Ro 8:5-8). Here it stands (in opposition to stone) for a pliable, teachable heart. [NIV SB] INTRODUCTION God promised to restore Israel not only physically but also spiritually. To accomplish this, he would give them a new heart for following him and put his Spirit within them (see 11:19-20; Psalm 51:7-11) to transform and empower them to do his will. Again the new covenant was promised (Ezekiel 16:61-63; 34:23-25), ultimately to be fulfilled in the coming of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit (see the notes on Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 1:5). No matter how messed up your life feels right now, God offers you a fresh start. By accepting his promises and acting upon them, you can have your sins washed away, receive a new heart for God, and have his Spirit within you. Have you stubbornly resisted his love and leading? Have you stonewalled his plans for you? The Holy Spirit can make you tender and receptive to him. Why try to patch up your old life when you can have a new one? [Life Application SB 2019] COMMENTARY PEARL Ezekiel wrote that God will "take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart" (Ezekiel 36:26). You received a heart transplant when you became a believer. You had to, because you can't live the Christian life in your own strength. God never expected that. Instead, he wants to live the Christian life through you. When you realize that, you begin to catch a glimpse of the awesome love of a God who wants to keep your personality, your character traits, your gifts, your likes and dislikes, and yet make you holy through his presence in you. [The One Year Bible for New Believers] Natural and acquired endowments are all gifts of God and need to be constantly held under the control of His Spirit, of His divine, sanctifying power. You need to feel most deeply your lack of experience in this work and put forth earnest endeavor to acquire needed knowledge and wisdom, that you may use every faculty of body and mind in such a way as to glorify God. "A new heart also will I give you." Christ must dwell in your hearts, as the blood is in the body, and circulate there as a vitalizing power. On this subject we cannot be too urgent. 7T 189-190 COMMENTARY A New Hope And A New Heart Science is learning to control just about everything but man. More important than electricity, technology, and medicine are the issues of the heart. Solve the problems of hate, lust, greed, and prejudice - which produce social strife and ultimately war - and the world would be a different place. Our future is threatened by many dangers, but they all stem from the heart. Greater than the enemy outside is the enemy within - sin. Every major civilization before us has collapsed from internal forces rather than military conquest. While ancient Rome's disintegration was hastened by foreign invasions, in the opinion of a well-known archaeologist, it collapsed "only after bribery and corruption had been rife for generations." No matter how advanced its progress, any civilization that neglects its spiritual and moral life is going to disintegrate. This is the history of mankind, and it is our problem still today. This is why Christ came - to give new hearts to the human race. What is the condition of your heart today? [Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham] A New Era When something tempting is before you, what are the thoughts that go through your mind? Do you believe you have the power to fight back, or do you remember the times you've fallen short or given in, thinking that sin is just an inevitable part of what it means to be human? Apart from Jesus, sin reigned over all of us. But now because of the cross, if you have called on His name, you are saved by grace. You are a brand-new creation. In Jesus Christ you are not the same as who you were before you were saved. Jesus has ushered in a new era by removing your old heart and giving you a new spirit. Even though you have a new heart, you are still not immune to sin. But now, the power of the Spirit within you gives you a new desire and new authority to overcome sin and its shame. The next time temptation knocks at your door, remember you have the power to fight back and to choose holiness over sin. Dear Lord, help me today to embrace Your revealed righteousness and to chase after that which truly brings me life. [Grace and Glory by Louie Giglio] LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY Ezekiel 36:26 - I Will Give You A New Heart And Put A New Spirit In You. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240521-0837.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2024/20240223-0845.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20231019-0904.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20190613-1103.html https://www.abible.com/devotions/2017/20170604-1615.html Ezekiel 11:19 - I Will Give Them a New Heart and a New Mind. https://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220830-0808.html LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT https://abible.com/links/ |