Transformed By GodSample

DAY 3: A new heart

One of the ways God transforms us is through a renewing of the mind – a gradual shifting of our worldly perspectives – but we are also told in the Bible that, as part of this transformation, God will also plant within us a ‘a new heart’ (Ezek. 36:26), that he will transform that inner part of ourselves that controls our will and emotions.

If we are to be remade in the image of Christ, our emotions and our motivations need to mirror the heart of God. We need a heart that is focused on loving God, not the things of this world. We need a heart that is moved, not by our own selfish needs, but by the needs of others – a heart that is attuned to God’s hope for the world.

‘Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God,’ – these are the words that American Evangelist Bob Pierce wrote in the flyleaf of his Bible as he surveyed the terrible suffering created by the Korean War. Faced with the brokenness of the world, he invited God to put a new heart within him, a heart attuned to the disparity between our fallen world and God’s kingdom, but filled with the hope of God’s promise.

It’s a very powerful prayer and Pierce went on to found the Christian charities World Vision and Samaritan’s Purse, sparking a worldwide movement of compassion. And God tell us that if we are willing, he will remove from us our stony, unyielding hearts that resist him and replace them with tender and willing hearts of flesh. He promises that he will give us hearts that are open to experiencing the love of God in all its forms; hearts which enable us to receive God’s love which is unconditional, magnificent and eternal, but also to share that love with others.

God’s very nature is love, and when we take on his very nature as embodied in Christ, we too are not only loved, but become love. Our heart for others and our capacity to share that love seems to expand exponentially.

This heart transplant is not an operation one can perform on oneself. There is no such thing as a DIY heart transplant. This new heart can only be born within us through the grace of God. All we can do is to be open to God’s transformation and pray ‘Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me’ (Psalm 51:10 NIV).

Reflection: What are the experiences in your life that have led to a ‘change of heart?’ Ask God, in prayer today, to place a new heart within you.