"Heart transplant"
"When the people return to their homeland, they will remove every trace of their vile images and detestable idols. And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:18-20 NLT)
The human heart controls the circulation of blood to the whole body. I'm not a doctor, but I know that if things go wrong with the heart, the whole body feels the consequences. If the heart stops beating, the body stops with it. The heart holds the key to the whole body.
Similarly, our spiritual hearts hold the key to how we obey or disobey God. As our heart goes, so goes everything else. Our behavior follows our hearts, not vice versa.
God's people have heart disease. The reason they are far from him & determined to disobey, lies with their hearts. And when God promises to restore them in chapter 11, he says he will do it by giving them a new heart. He will give them a heart transplant. One that is sensitive to him, a heart of flesh, not one that is stubborn toward him, a heart of stone.
What best describes our hearts toward God? Stone or flesh? Sensitive or stubborn? Obedient or disobedient? The proof is probably in our behavior. Our behavior reflects our hearts. So based on our lives, what kind of hearts do we have?
We need a new heart. This is what Jesus gives. He makes us new. We don't need rehab, we need heart surgery. We don't need repairs, we need a transplant. We don't need a bypass, we need new hearts! Nothing will change in our lives until we get hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone.
Which heart do we have? Is it time for surgery?
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