S) " 19 And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them. And I will take the heart of stone out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances and do them. Then they will be My people, and I shall be their God."
Ezekiel 11:19-20 (NASB)
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Ezekiel 11
*because there are already entries for each of these chapters, I also read Ezekiel 11
O) There can be no mistake, it is God who restores. It is God who takes a heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. Now, that isn't to say people cannot still rebel against God. After all, we are certainly capable of hardening our own hearts, as we see throughout the Bible and in plenty of anecdotal evidence. Still, no one is beyond the reach of God. He has a heart for reconciliation. Even the start of v.20, where He said that the people would walk in His statutes and keep His ordinances and do them, this walking in righteousness which is reiterated in the New Testament as possible only because of God, this is not being good for goodness sake. This is not obedience for the sake of appeasing an angry god. This is all about being His people, and Him being our God.
A) While this passage was written to a specific generation of God's people, there can be no mistaking the fact that God still does this very thing. He did it for me, just like He did it for every person who has ever loved Him. So, these verses fill me with hope, that He can take the heart of stone from any people, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in His ways, that they would become part of His people, and that He would be their God.
P) Father, You are mighty and wise and sovereign. I know that You desire that none would perish, but all would come to repentance. So Lord, I pray that You would remove the hearts of stone from my children. Replace them with hearts of flesh, Lord, that they would walk in obedience to Christ Jesus, that they would be Your people, and You would be their God. I pray this for my family, for my extended family, my in-laws, my friends. God, do this for my co-workers and people who come to my church who aren't yet submitted to You. Do this for the whole world! Wherever the gospel is preached, let the people hear it. Take hearts of stone and replace them with hearts of flesh, that they would walk in Your statutes and keep Your ordinances and do them. That they will be Your people, and You shall be their God. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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