"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. 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
That was the Lord's promise to the people of Israel after they had been scattered because of their disobedience. Israel was and is a physical representation of something spiritual. Something that included people beyond the Jewish nation. It is referred to as "the" mystery in the New Testament.
"It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned." - Romans 9:6-7
"This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." -Ephesians 3:6
As Jesus told Nicodemus - "You must be born again" by the Spirit. He would not find God on the basis of his natural birth. By faith God gives us a new heart and puts His Spirit in us. In you and me. We are faced with a choice every day - every second actually. Which heart will we allow to guide us. If we are not deliberate in focusing on guide and our new life then our old life will dominate our thinking and our doing. We will continue to cling to the fact that we are saved - but live like we are not. Our flesh is drawn to the world and what the world desires.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are immersed in a world that we are no longer a part of - spiritually. Like walking through a mud puddle and not getting muddy. Is it possible? Yes. But impossible if we trust in ourselves to stay clean. We could not do it before we met Jesus, and we can't do it - by ourselves after.
I write these devotional thoughts to encourage you in your faith and your day to day living. I am not seeking your mental - tacit - agreement with what I share - but spiritual agreement where your new heart says, "yes and amen". And more that you consider your ways - as I do every time I sit behind this keyboard - I write to myself before I share with you.
Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
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