“And they shall come thither, and they shall take away all the detesttable things thereof and all the abominations thereof from thence. And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit with in you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh; That they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. But as for them whose heart walketh after the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God.” Ez. 11: 18-20
Today’s Christian Daily Devotional
If we only focus on the words in the Bible that make us feel good, we aren’t getting the full scope of learning we need. The word of God should not only give us the “sweet”, it must provide the “meat”. How will we ever grow in maturity if we only read verses that make us comfortable? Although the words in Ez 11: 18-20 seem harsh, they offer hope at the same time. If we turn away from the vile things that are keeping us from having intimacy with God, our sensitivity to His needs and desires for us will grow to be even MORE sensitive to the things that please Him and the things that repulse Him. This is amazing! The closer we are to loving what God loves, and hating what He hates give us the opportunity to serve Him (and therefore ourselves) BETTER, and EASIER! The hardest part of these passages to swallow is the last verse. In the same respect that we stay sensitive and obedient to the ways of God, if we reject Him with a cold heart, we will not only continue to suffer in that choice, but will be given over to complete destruction (our own sinful desires AND the consequences that go with them). It is not pretty, but it is a truth, and it is a warning. Don’t grow cold if the Lord is convicting your heart; be comforted. This means you are still tender enough to her Him, and it will give you a chance to make it better. Simply ask Him to forgive you, stop doing what your heart is already telling you to stop and ask for a heart that ALWAYS feels the pain of conviction.
“Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the pain receptors of conviction. I am praying that you amp mine up the degree of SCALDING. The initial pain will save me from eternal pain, and also allow me the chance to live a good life. I want that new spirit, that heart of flesh to replace my heart of stone. Give me all that I need for you to be my God, and for me to be marked as your own. I know this will not make my life “easier” but I know it will make making decisions that will eventually lead me into the path of a good life. I don’t need immediate gratification; I need to know that I am making the choices with a heart after yours, and then I will never fear. I know you will have my back! In Jesus’ precious name, to live a life with a heart that bleeds like yours, Amen.”
Thank you for reading today’s daily devotional. Please check back and see what we have for you tomorrow!