Hearts and Change

Hearts and Change

1 Peter2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness, into his wonderful light."

In Old Testament times, God selected a nation of slaves in order to show the world what living God's way would be like. He developed a special relationship with the Israelites, and offered them blessings beyond measure if they would be obedient and follow him.

Unfortunately they were not responsive to God and sinned terribly, most of their history. They wanted to do it right. But they did not have the heart to act on this intention (Deut 5:29). God knew this right from the start, and had a plan to rectify this.

He says in Jeremiah, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people" (Jer 31:33). The old covenant was not sufficient. God had to change their hearts.

Have we a changed heart? When Jesus comes into our life, he changes things! "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come" (2 Cor 5:17). When we accept Jesus by surrendering our lives to him, he changes us inside. He writes his way of living on our heart, so that we now desire to live his way, doing things the way he would do them.

As we surrender more and more of our self to him, we make ourselves more and more available for him to make us agents of his grace. Verse 20 says he has made us Christ's ambassadors, showing a world of darkness that there is a better way! Praise God, that he has saved us from sin and guilt and set us free to live a brand new life, so that we can now share this good news!

“Lord, thank you for rescuing me and for changing my heart! Help me to surrender all, so that I may be a vessel fit to serve you. Thank you Lord Jesus. Amen”