Read: Ezekiel 36:22-31
I read about the time during the early 1970s in Ghana, where a poster titled “The Heart of Man” appeared on walls and public notice boards. In one picture, all kinds of dreadful reptiles filled the heart-shaped painting with the head of a very unhappy man on top of it. In another image, the heart-shape was clean and peaceful with the head of a contented man. The caption beneath the images read: “What is the condition of your heart?”
In Matt. 15:18-19, Jesus explained what pollutes a person. He said, “But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.” That is the condition of a heart separated from God – the same situation the Israelites found themselves in when their sins forced them into exile (Ezek. 36:23).
Despite the people’s situation, God’s promise in Ezek. 36:26 is wonderful: “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.” If we are willing to turn to God, if we are obedient to His gracious call, God is ready and He will take away our stubborn hearts that have been corrupted by all kinds of evil and give us a clean heart that is responsive to Him. Praise God for His sovereign grace and for such a wonderful gift. For a fresh and new start in life, can you ask God for a new and transformed heart today?
