“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezek.36:26)
Heavenly Father, we start this March weekend with a shout of gratitude, as we remember just how generous you are to us in the Gospel. When you gave us faith to trust Jesus as our Savior, you raised us from spiritual death, seated us in the heavenly places, and hid our lives in Christ. You declared Jesus’ righteousness to be ours, gave us eternal citizenship in heaven, and made good on your promise to give us a new heart. Hallelujah and thank you 10,000 times over!
You gave us a new heart on our spiritual-birthday—which I celebrate today (March 7, 1968). But our new heart will only become a fully perfected heart when Jesus returns to finish making all things new. Until then, we will need your steadfast love, daily mercies, transforming grace, and the work of your Spirit—all which you freely give us in the Gospel.
What am I most looking forward to about my new heart becoming a perfected heart? Abba, where do I start my very long list of answers? First and foremost, I will finally worship and adore you with everything I have and am. Along with each of your beloved children, we will see Jesus as he is and we will be made fully like him. It will be impossible for us to ever sin again, and only possible for us to love perfectly all the time.
Everything about us will be healthy, whole, and beautiful—mind, body, and spirit. Because you guarantee all of this awesomeness, Abba, we repent of our unbelief, ramp up our gratitude, and surrender afresh to our calling to grow in grace and know Jesus better and better (2Pet.3:18). Hallelujah, and So Very Amen.