Bible Passage: “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. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV)
Scripture Reading: Ezekiel 36:16-38
Every so often, there’s a task that we have to admit we are unequal to.
Often, it is something silly like moving something that is simply beyond the stretch of our muscle fibers. We don’t mind that.
We don’t mind when it requires a certain expertise to accomplish something—wiring, plumbing, accounting, or computer programming. Although perhaps you do feel a slight twinge of “I should be able to do that,” like I sometimes do.
The obvious, but still somewhat difficult, reality is that some things are simply beyond us. We need help. We cannot do it on our own.
There is one arena where that truth should bring a deep sigh of relief: our spiritual lives.
We, on our own, through grit and determination, sheer force of will, cannot make ourselves good enough to meet the standards of God. And yet we often default to a religion of trying harder. A spirituality that is devoid of reliance on the Spirit and instead digs deeper into personal resolve.
We can develop some habits, perhaps drop a few vices, and gain a few virtues. But a “try harder” approach to God will never work. We don’t even have the right equipment for that.
Thank God that He is willing to give us the necessary equipment and help us to be true followers.
In Ezekiel 36, a ray of hope peeks through the dark prophecies of punishment for sin. God speaks of a day when He will give His people hearts of flesh instead of hearts of stone (moving and soft, in place of hard and cold).
But He also says that He will give His Spirit so that true obedience is possible.
We don’t have to be able to do it. Which is good; we can’t anyway. God, in His goodness, will make it possible for us to follow Him. Leaving behind the religion of self-effort and gritted teeth, we can embrace the new heart He gives and rely on the Spirit for true, deep, and lasting change.
Prayer: Gracious God, I confess that I do try hard and that in my trying, I do not always rely on the Spirit. Help me to embrace the new heart You give and to allow Your Spirit to do His work in me. Amen.
Reflection: How do you balance the need to be responsible with the need to allow the Spirit to work in you?
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