Last week we looked at the thought of being humble. It wasn’t brought out in the post but the ultimate act of humbleness was the act of Jesus coming to the earth and becoming a man. If that wasn’t enough that the God of the universe would come and live as a man, Jesus came for the ultimate purpose of living that sinless life and taking our place on the cross to be our substitute. If you understand this, the question posed gives you a heart of flesh. If you don’t understand that please click the link here to find out what that means.
Our heart when referenced in the Bible is really the essence of who we are. Our heart soul mind and body. Here is what Easton’s Bible Dictionary says about the heart.
“The heart is also the seat of the conscience (Romans 2:15). It is naturally wicked (Genesis 8:21), and hence it contaminates the whole life and character (Matthew 12:34; 15:18; Comp. Ecclesiastes 8:11; Psalm 73:7). Hence the heart must be changed, regenerated (Ezek. 36:26; 11:19; Psalm 51:10-14), before a man can willingly obey God.”
For those that have accepted Jesus as their personal savior, God has given us a new spirit or the Holy Spirit which is our source of changing our stoney heart into that heart of flesh. Now the verse doesn’t say that it will immediately disappear but God will remove it. This can be a painful process.
We have choices in life and what Easton’s Bible Dictionary stated at the last of that quote holds true. Our hearts need to be regenerated and changed which comes from being humble and seeking to understand God’s word which guides us in how we are to live our lives. God does the work of taking our hard, unfeeling, inflexible and hearts that are not sensitive to Him and changes us.
Our humble hearts being influenced by God’s word, the church and our fellow brothers and sisters will soften and bring tender hearted people who are spiritually sensitive to following God’s law and being moulded into His likeness. Is your heart of stone being softened? Is it like clay where it can be moulded and shaped?
Our hearts include all that we are but in reality it is what shapes who we are and how we live in this world. What a joy for the Christian that we have the Holy Spirit to soften our hearts of stone and give us hearts of flesh. Let the Stones of Life Speak?