Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances.”

The bible is filled with stories of Israel being disobedient, turning from their sins and coming back to the Lord.  In this passage, the Israelites have not turned back to the Lord.  He brings renewal and blessings to them despite their wandering ways in order to bring honor to His name.  God desires nothing more than our devotion.  He longs for us to listen and follow him; to honor and praise him with all we do and say.  We are no different than the Israelites of long ago.  We are often wayward and deceived people.  We are self-oriented and self-serving most of the time.  I long for the day when I will wake up each morning acknowledging the presence of the Lord, and continue each moment of the day honoring and living for Him.  I long for the day when this nation I live in will turn to Him for guidance in all we do and seek to serve Him in every way.  I know this is coming...someday.

Lord,

We need you but we do not seek you.  We seek you only to turn the other way when we do not want to follow.  Forgive our sins and give us new hearts and spirits for you.  Open our hearts and spirits to be led only by you, all for your glory.  Amen.