2023_12_11 Insight Post- Kim Feld

²⁵ “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. ²⁶ 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. ²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations (Ezekiel 36:25-27. NLT).

I love these verses in Ezekiel and see so much in them for my personal relationship with Jesus. In this chapter, God is speaking to Israel about His future restoration for them, but in a very real way, He does these things for me, too. It’s easy for me to set up idols in my life. These can be great things, but they become an idol when I prioritize them over God. I often think about how ironic it is that I “work for God” by working for the church, yet if I’m not careful, my job responsibilities can edge out the time that God wants me to spend with Him and the work that He wants to do in my life. Again and again, I have to confess this to Him and allow his grace and mercy to cleanse me and wash my idolatry (don’t miss that He sees this as filth!) away.

One of the most apparent indicators for me of how I’m doing spiritually is the condition of my heart. When I withhold forgiveness or stubbornly refuse to see another side of an issue, I know my heart is no longer tender and responsive. Keeping my heart soft is daily work, daily “Jesus work.” That means spending time with Him and really listening to what the Holy Spirit may be saying to me.

As a follower of Jesus, God has given me His Spirit to lead and guide me. But it’s still my choice to listen and obey. Sometimes, my stubborn, stony heart wants to go in another direction. God gave me free will; because of that, He will let me go where I want to go. But it’s His lovingkindness that draws me back. Take a look at what Paul has to say in Romans 2:4:

⁴ Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

This is such a busy time of year with Christmas rapidly approaching, but I hope you will take some time this week to reflect on the condition of your heart. Do you need to come back, ask for forgiveness, and allow God to do His work to soften the rough edges you’ve picked up? I love the above verse from Romans because it shows that God could have used force to turn us from our sins, but instead, His kindness draws us. And His kindness keeps Him ready to take my stony heart when I offer it to Him and give me a soft one in its place.

Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach