Down to Earth Believer

Musings of a Deeply Flawed Christ-Follower

“A TENDER, RESPONSIVE HEART”

On February 8, 2017 by Dteb With 0 Comments - down to earth believer

“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” (Ezekiel 36:26, New Living Translation)

I listen a lot these days to Christian music on K-Love Radio. They have an encouraging verse of the day each day. Today’s verse was Ezekiel 36:26.

As soon as I heard it, I teared up, and said, “O, God, please give me a tender, responsive heart!”

I very rarely feel that I have clearly heard the voice of God. That is probably because I’m lousy at listening. I don’t listen well even to my fellow-species members. I’m really bad when it comes to listening to the Creator of us all.

However, this time God spoke and I heard.

“Your tears show that you already have a tender, responsive heart, my child,” God said.

Then, I really teared up.

Of course, my heart is not always tender and responsive. I have two hearts, and one of them is a stony, stubborn heart. I can transition between my two hearts very rapidly.

Maybe I need to pray for one heart, for a united heart.

Or perhaps I need to pray that I will have a tender, responsive heart more consistently.

But how? How do I cultivate and maintain such a heart?

Well, first I need to recognize that a tender heart is a gift from God. That is good news! I don’t have to manufacture a tender heart; I just need to accept it as a gift from the God who Himself has a tender and responsive heart toward me and toward all mankind. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

Of course, I do play a part in what kind of heart I have. The verse after the K-Love verse (vs. 27) talks about Israel’s part in their tender, responsive heart.

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

Walking in God’s statutes and being careful in observing God’s ordinances is the purpose of this new, tender, respective heart.

Yes!

Disobedience and carelessness harden the heart in a hurry. God’s gift of a new and better heart is irrevocable. However, I need to do my utmost to maintain this great gift. As Oswald Chambers entitled his book, “My Utmost for His Highest!”

My utmost careful obedience for God’s highest gift: a tender, responsive heart!

a tender responsive heart, carefulness, encouraging verse of the day, Ezekiel 36:26, God speaking, hardening of the heart, K-Love radio, listening to God, obedience

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