Ezekiel 36:26
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.
As we move into the New Year, let us remember that when we accepted Jesus Christ as Our Lord and Savior, we were given a new heart. We were given a heart that senses sin and danger. We were given a penitent heart, keenly aware of the things that offend our Lord. We were given a sanctified heart, submissive to the will of God. We were born again into a renewed life.
We are renewed by the Spirit and the grace of God. New light was given to us. A new will filled with new purposes and resolutions was provided to us. In our renewed spirit, we find new affections and desires for God and all things holy. As new men and women in Christ, we find new delights and joys in the Lord every day.
Being born again is the unmistakeable work of the Holy Spirit. We are given a new vision of life – kingdom vs. carnal. We are taught, directed and sanctified by the continuing work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We are equipped to walk in the ways of Our Savior. We are given ongoing access to the One who replaced our heart of stone with a heart of flesh.
As we journey into the New Year, let us be aware of the presence of Our Lord in our lives. Let us seek Him for He is infinitely superior to anything that the world has to offer. Let us refresh ourselves regularly in the Lord.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the new hearts that You have given us through the redeeming work of Your Son, Jesus. We praise the name of Jesus for the renewed lives we are given through His sacrifice. We pray, Lord, that You will keep our hearts soft. We beseech you to protect us against the world that tries to harden our hearts. We humbly ask that You give us the grace that we need that we may stay refreshed in Christ and be vessels of refreshing to those around us. We pray these things in the name of the Author and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus Christ.
Through Jesus' Love 