Morning & Evening Devotional Reading–

August 15– Evening

by C. H. Spurgeon, revised and edited by W. C. Neff

“And I [God] will give you a heart of flesh.'”

—Ezekiel 36:26

A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin. To have indulged a foul imagination or to have allowed a wild desire to linger for even a moment is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone does not grieve; it treats great sin as if it were nothing.

“If to the right or left I stray, that moment, Lord, reprove!
And let me weep my life away for having grieved your love.”

The heart of flesh is sensitive to God’s will. The hardened heart is a great blusterer, and it is not subject to God’s will; but when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like a leaf with every breath of heaven and bends like a weeping willow in the breeze of God’s Spirit. The natural will is like cold, hard iron, which cannot be hammered into form; but the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon shaped by the hand of grace.

In the fleshy heart, there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer, but the renewed heart burns with affection towards him. The hard heart is selfish and coldly asks, “Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?” But the heart of flesh says; “Lord, you know that I love you; help me to love you more!”

Many are the privileges of this renewed heart; it is where the Spirit dwells; it is here that Jesus rests. It is prepared to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honor and praise of God, and, therefore, the Lord delights in it. A tender heart is the best defense against sin and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower, looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Do you have a heart of flesh? [M&E]