A soft heart that yearns for God

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”

Our Bible verse for today: “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. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.” Ezekiel 36:26-27 (NLT)

Our thought for today: “A soft heart that yearns for God”

It breaks my heart that so many people have a distorted perception of God. So many people view Him as a stern, sometimes angry, disciplinarian. They imagine He is keeping close tabs on their behavior, carefully documenting every sin – every last little indiscretion – and deciding on how He will discipline them. In the minds of many people if God is a Father, He is a stern and demanding Father who is never satisfied with us.

But is that the picture of God the Bible gives us? It is not. It is true that God is a disciplinarian when He needs to be. Any good and loving father disciplines their child as needed. But the Bible depicts God as a good and loving Father, a Father who yearns for a warm and close love relationship with each of His children. If you want to read an accurate Biblical portrayal of God as Father, take a moment to read the parable of the Prodigal Son as found in Luke 15:11-32. Or, Google the song by Chris Tomlin, “Good, Good, Father.” Prayerfully and devotionally read that parable and then listen to the soft music and heartwarming lyrics of that song and you will never again think of God the Father as a stern taskmaster and strict disciplinarian.

The problem is not that God is hard and cold – it’s that we are. The problem isn’t with His heart but with ours. In Ezekiel 36:26-27 we find that God wants to change that for us. God wants to give us a new heart that is soft, tender, and responsive to His overtures to us. Then we will choose to live in ways that honor Him and which respect His standards, not because we are afraid that an angry God is going to spank us if we don’t, but because we love Him so much that we want to honor and please Him.

God wants to do something special for you. He wants to give you a new, softer, more tender heart that will yearn for Him, seek Him, and be receptive to His overtures of love, kindness, and mercy towards you.

God is indeed a good, good Father, and He loves to give His children good, good gifts. One gift He wants you to have is a heart that is soft and open and yearning and receptive. He wants you to have a heart that will accept His love and which will give your love back to Him.

A soft and tender heart that truly longs for fellowship with our kind and loving Father in heaven is a beautiful thing. If you do not yet have a heart that is soft, open, and yearning for God, pray and ask Him to give it to you. He will.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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