Did Your Heart Change?

The capture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is over. The brutal treatment of him at the hands of Roman soldiers is over. The trial that found him guilty is over. The torturing and twisting of his body are over. The cruel fastening of his body to an old, rugged cross is over. The bleeding wounds from his head, hands, feet, and pierced side are over. The retrieval of his body from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus is over. 

This coming Sunday we are going to ask the question, “Did your heart change because of Easter?”  Every person who sees and hears the words of Jesus, God wants your heart to change.

When was the last time you had a “heart checkup”? I know what you are thinking: Is he talking about physically or spiritually? Well, maybe both, but for this message I am talking about our spiritual heart. The question needs to be asked,  “Am I available for God to use me?”  You and I need to look deep in our hearts and answer this question.

In my personal Bible study, the other day I was reading the 36th chapter of Ezekiel, and when I got to verse 26,  it jumped off the page at me: “And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”  (NLT) Jesus is in the business of changing hearts. It is true!

How about your heart? How does your heart look to God? What does He see when He investigates you? Are you moving in the right direction in these all-important heart areas? Or do you need some spiritual surgery?

God wants you and I to be people after His own heart. For this to happen, you must confess any sins and ask Him to soften us and change us on the inside. We must spend time with the Lord each day no matter what. We have to talk with Him openly and honestly from our hearts. We must share our burdens with Him. We must seek His face and obey Him no matter what life throws at us. Never forget, Jesus wants to be your closest friend. His hands are extended to you right now. The question you need to answer is will you take them?

When I think about the subject of the heart, my mind always goes to David. 1 Samuel 13:14 GWT “The Lord has searched for a man after his own heart.”  Are we searching after God’s heart?

Every day we should look at the condition of our heart. Is it soft or hard? Think about this: Do the things that break God’s heart, break your heart? God’s heart breaks over sin...does yours? God’s heart breaks for those who are lost and on the highway to hell...does yours? God’s heart breaks over injustice, indifference, abuse...Does yours?
G.K. Chesterton said, “We do not want, as the newspapers say, a church that will move with the world. We want a church that will move the world.”

Make Every Day Count!