Watchman
Née said in his book The Normal Christian Life[i]:
The heart, God says, is "desperately
sick" (Jer 17:9) and he must do something more fundamental than cleanse
it: he must give us a new one. We do not wash and iron clothing that we are
going to throw away...the flesh is too bad to be cleansed it must be crucified."
God said in Ezekiel 36:26, "A new
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you."
God
didn't come to save our flesh yet so much time and energy is spent on our
flesh. The cosmetic, diet/exercise and medical businesses are billion dollar
enterprises that help us feel good and some changes are even beneficial for our
health. I thank God for the wisdom and
creativity he has give to those in the medical profession for life threatening
diseases and surgeries. God created us with a desire to fight off illnesses and
diseases lest we easily give up and die.
We
all want to look and feel our best. Our
bodies are the instrument through which we live in this world...we need our
bodies. But could the need for constant
self improvement have its root in wanting to satisfy our spiritual hunger and
desires our own way? If we could change
the outer appearance to get a sense of accomplishment or receive recognition
would that truly satisfy the deeper longing?
Lasting change starts from the inside out. Lasting change starts with not a renewed or
laundered heart, but a new heart...a new spirit within us.
God
can't live in a heart that is partially clean or filled with greed, self pride,
deceit, lies, anger, self inspired morality, drunkenness, quarreling, and
lust. These hearts have no room left for
him. A new heart comes with God's
presence which is the opposite of our 'self natured' heart. His presence fills our hearts with endless
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and
self control.
How
does this happen? It isn't a physical
heart transplant but a spiritual. No man in and of himself can accomplish this
transformation. Our part is recognizing
we can't do enough good deeds or recite enough religious prayers or liturgies
or be morally good enough to clean or fix a broken heart. The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You
will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God. (Psalms 51:17 NLT)
No
one has ever physically witnessed one of these heart transplants, but the proof
is demonstrated through the outward expressions and life changes of the
recipients. Jesus said, "A good
person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil
person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say
flows from what is in your heart. (Luke 6:45 NLT). This
will give proof of what condition our hearts are in...the old natural heart or
the new transplanted heart.
Once
the new heart is received and the old natural heart tries to rear its ugly head
(make no mistake it will!), this new heart is able to be cleansed with the
'soap' of the Holy Spirit because the contents are not filled with the old ways
but the new ways of God.
No
one is ever beyond hope of receiving this new heart. So which heart will speak
and act through you and me today?
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