Ezekiel 36 "A New Heart"

One of my favorite passages is Ezekeil 36:26-27

26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

What an amazing promise!

I decided to go back and read the whole chapter today. What's interesting is that though it's awesome that God will replace our wicked heart for a clean, loving heart, is the fact that it is for His Glory---Verses 22-23

22 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. 23 I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.

Even this leads to our benefit though. Without the perspective who we are and who He is, we cannot appreciate just how much He has loved us and how far He has gone on our behalf. In seeking His own glory, He has loved us greater than we can imagine.

So when you read,

32 I want you to know that I am not doing this for your sake, declares the Sovereign LORD. Be ashamed and disgraced for your conduct, O house of Israel!

Rejoice! When God shows His glory, we will fall on our face with broken hearts in our own shame, and from there we can truly say Thank you Lord for our Lord and Savior Jesus who has made a way for us to enter in. Start your journey towards that new heart again today---and each day.