March 16

Ezekiel 36:24-28
New Heart and New Spirit

We are living in a season where renovating or restoring something – anything – is seen as very cool. We buy a fixer-upper, tap into our inner Chip and Joanna Gaines, and the next thing you know we are living our best HGTV life! There’s something so satisfying about taking something well past it’s prime, it’s next destination likely being the trash, and restoring it to not only new, but sometimes BETTER than new! But getting it to that point usually requires more than just a fresh coat of paint. Many times you are talking about a complete rebuilding - stripping something down to the bare bones, and restoring it from the inside out. This better-than-new status comes with a lot of hard work and sweat, patience, and often a fair dose of frustration along the way. But it’s almost always a labor of love. Otherwise, you would give up on it long before completion.
In Ezekiel 36:24-28, we see God’s amazing renovating skills on full display. His people, the Israelites, had been exiled from the promised land because of their spiritual adultery.
Time and time again, the Israelites turned their backs on the very God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt way back in Exodus… the very God who showed His love and faithfulness to them again and again. So, God had to get their attention in a big way with some painful but ultimately loving discipline… exile. But this passage shows God shifting from judgement to salvation as He promises to RESTORE them from exile.
But here’s where I think the story goes beyond just a fresh coat of paint. God could have simply allowed them to return to their own land, the end. But our God is far too lavish to end the renovations there. Yes, there was physical restoration of returning to the land that God had given to their forefathers (verses 24 & 28). But then we get a series of “but wait, there’s more!” moments…

God then proceeds to promise a spiritual cleansing (verse 25), followed by the promise of a new heart! Goodbye disobedient hearts of stone, hello responsive hearts of flesh (verse 26). But. Wait. There’s. More! In the very next sentence, God says “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (verse 27). WOW! Talk about a labor of love. God knew the tendencies of these people – they would obey for a time, and then fall off the wagon – again! So He puts His very own spirit inside of them – ensuring that they will follow Him alone. He simply was not done with them, and He refused to give up on them. What kindness. What patience. What love!

As I was reading and meditating on these verses, I found myself clinging to these words and promises. Reading and rereading them again and again. I think because I can too easily see myself in this story. How easy is it for something of this world to turn my eyes away from my loving and faithful heavenly Father? I was once in need of a major renovation, but thanks to Jesus, I am a new creation... the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Thank God He didn’t give up on me. And He hasn’t given up on you, either.

Reflection:

Are there still areas of my heart that are like stone, disobedient and hard to correct?
What’s stopping me from letting God do a full renovation of my heart?

Prayer:

God, thank you for so patiently loving us and seeing our new hearts through to completion. Jesus, thank you for doing the hard work on our behalf. Thanks to you, we will never look the same! And we know we could never look better than looking just like You.