The HeartSample

The Heart 

By Bryan Craig

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 NIV

God moves in and through us and He uses life circumstances to expose us and refine us to be in sync with His Spirit. One time, we discussed a teaching from Watchman Nee on the spirit, soul and body of a man, and someone inquired where the “heart” fits into this picture. There are many references in Scripture to the “heart” of a man, so it seems very worthwhile for us to seek to understand this aspect of who we are.

The verse above from Ezekiel is one of my favorites. We talk about accepting Jesus into our hearts or God transforming our hearts. However, when I read this passage, it appears to me that God doesn’t want to do heart surgery, but He wants to do a heart transplant! Many of us can relate to this process. We recognize that we had hard hearts that were so prone to wickedness, but when we allowed God to come and take ownership of our lives, He gave us a softer heart which desired to follow His Spirit’s commands.

So, when we talk about the three components of man, his body, his soul and his spirit. I believe there is obviously a physical heart which pumps blood, but I believe the heart that Scripture describes could be part of the soul, which is man’s thoughts, emotions and will.

When you think of your heart, don’t you think of your emotions? There are things which make our hearts come alive and there are things which break our hearts. However, the heart is also a player in exercising our will. People who are generous and merciful are usually described as having big hearts. People who achieve great feats despite overwhelming odds are said to have a lot of heart. When I watched the Super Bowl a few years ago and the New England Patriots' comeback, I believe I saw the heart of a champion in Tom Brady. When they described William Wallace, the brave Scotsman who led his people against the tyranny of the English, they called him Braveheart.

Our hearts matter to God and the more we understand our hearts, the more we will understand God’s will for our lives. Let’s seek Him “with all our hearts” this week.