Heart transplant

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

Good morning, dear friends,

It's that time of year again:  February!  Hope you like the new look to the blog.  I can't seem to help myself, just thinking about Valentine's month again!  Yes, I am a hopeless romantic, and yes, we do Valentine's Day here in our house.  

For those of you thinking that I hold my husband hostage to romantic expectations, nothing could be further from the truth.  He shows me so much love each and every day, I don't look for special treatment on February 14th! And that's the way it should be!  I just love the fact that every year, people make special efforts to show their love to each other in creative ways.  

First and foremost on my mind this year, is showing my love for my God.

Last year in the blog I shared some of my favorite "love" verses, counting down to Valentine's Day.  This year, I wanted to focus on the "heart" of the matter.  The Bible has so much to share about my heart, that I wanted to share my heart with you...

One of my favorite passages about the heart is at the top of the blog:

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh." Ezekiel 36:26

The very first heart transplant, ever recorded in the world.  God promises to give me a new heart.

The chapter surrounding this verse in Ezekiel is such an encouraging one.  God is promising the people of Israel that He will restore the nation, not because of anything that amazing that they had done, but in spite of their actions against God!  The reason that He restores the people of Israel is for His name's sake:

"Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went." Ezekiel 36::22

Then God explains how He will perform the transplant.  Notice all the "I wills":

"For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land.  Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Ezekiel 36:24-27

I love the image of God taking out my "heart of stone" and replacing it with a "heart of flesh." I was recently watching a video that explains how hearts for organ donation can be harvested from dead patients, and then be resuscitated by a machine to restore the heart back to its original condition, before being transplanted.  That is amazing to me!

What is even more amazing, is the work that God does in my own heart!  God takes me unresponsive, lifeless heart, dead in sin and lifeless toward Him, and replaces it with an active, vivbrant, perfect heart toward Him.  What a tremendous blessing, to have a heart transplant from my loving Father!

May God help me to remember this new heart that He has given me, and "open" my heart to sharing this good news with others today!