Ezekiel 36:26 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.
I am a deeply emotional person. I feel everything—joy, sadness, distress—so very keenly. Approaching the world on behalf of my Savior with a tender, responsive heart is a daunting prospect because if I am rebuffed or rejected or maligned, the sting feels painful, deep, and lasting.
Proverbs 4:23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.
However, I know without a doubt that trying to protect myself, to dull the sting of worldly rejection, hardens my heart. The callouses of protection can’t let in one thing while dulling another. Either I am vulnerable or I am hardened. There isn’t much in between. And I’m not much use to my Savior if I’m so busy defending myself from the world that I can’t risk being vulnerable for Jesus.
James 4:8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you….purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.
Lord, Thank You for this day and for the truth of Your words. This world can be brutal. It can rip a person to shreds. But You are the antidote. You are the cure. You are the Healer and the healing. And You can use me to shine Your light, but only if I am willing to keep my heart tender, supple, vulnerable. Help me, Lord, to shine Your hope into a weary world so desperately in need. Draw me closer. Amen.
Psalm 119:10 With my whole heart I seek You….
Have a blessed day.
My faith, my life, my teaching–it's all a work in progress.