Day 18 Heart of stone

Ezekiel 36:26-27 New King James Version (NKJV) I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.


I've got a really poor memory and always have had. Theres not much that I can recall from my childhood unless Ive got the prompt of a diary post or a photograph.  But one thing I do remember is reading these verses in Ezekiel for the first time not long after Id become a Christian at the age of 16.  I remember being deeply moved and rather excited that these words. spoken to a prophet generations before I existed, had come to fulfilment in my own life.  As a baby Christian I was aware that God had given me a heart transplant. I knew I was new.  I was amazed and thankful.

This promise is pretty awesome when you look at it carefully.  We are promised both a new heart and a new spirit.  In some senses you would think that having the Spirit of God living in us would be enough.  Why would we need a new heart if we have the Holy Spirit?  Surely His presence in our spirits is everything.  His fruit growing in our lives makes us like Jesus.  What does a 'heart of flesh' add to the picture?

Well, maybe its more to do with what is being replaced. A heart of stone. We know from the parable of the sower that stony ground cant receive the word of God. I suppose these days we might use the word 'soul' instead of heart.  The soul is a combination of our mind, will and emotions.  It encompasses how we think and feel, the way we make decisions and our responses to people and circumstances.  Our spirits need our souls to be fully alive and renewed in order for us to be living life in all its fulness - the life Jesus came to give us

Jeremiah 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?

Proverbs 4:23 Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.

'I will cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgements and do them' This is an even more extraordinary promise than the part about getting a heart transplant. The result of getting rid of the stony heart will be a life that is obedient. Hooray!. Gone is the need to slavishly try to follow the rules. Now we can live directed by the indwelling Spirit who will ensure we are living God's way.  If you have ever worried that you arent doing well enough as a Christian - stop it. God has made you a promise. He has removed your deceitful and sick heart and replaced it with one which follows His statutes and obeys His commands.

That's good isnt it?

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