Evening, August 15

Charles Spurgeon · Morning and Evening: Daily Readings

"And I will give you an 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 tarry
   even for a moment, is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve
   before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but
   not so the heart of flesh.


   "If to the right or left I stray,

   That moment, Lord, reprove;

   And let me weep my life away,

   For having grieved thy love"

   The heart of flesh is tender of God's will. My Lord Will-be-will is a
   great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God's will; but when
   the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in
   every breath of heaven, and bows like an osier in every breeze of God's
   Spirit. The natural will is cold, hard iron, which is not to be
   hammered into form, but the renewed will, like molten metal, is soon
   moulded 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 demands, "Why should I weep for sin? Why should I
   love the Lord?" But the heart of flesh says; "Lord, thou knowest that I
   love thee; help me to love thee more!" Many are the privileges of this
   renewed heart; "'Tis here the Spirit dwells, 'tis here that Jesus
   rests." It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every
   blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to
   the honour and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it. A
   tender heart is the best defence against sin, and the best preparation
   for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower looking for the
   coming of the Lord Jesus. Have you this heart of flesh?