Hearts of flesh

  Matthew 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.   A heart that's warm soft and loving becoming cold and hard....There's a bit of an obvious warning for us there...Heb_3:8  Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: I love the verse in Ezekiel 36:26  A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.   So there is a warning for us not to let the wonderful soft heart of love....Be hardened through the bad things we experience in this fallen world...It is quite a warning in the book of Hebrews Heb_3:8  Heb_3:15 Heb_4:7  When we see evil around us....don't let our hearts be hardened...When something bad happens to us - don't let our hearts be hardened...If we even hear the voice of God....and we don't like what He is saying.....Don't harden our hearts toward Him 1Peter 1:16  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy... Both the Hebrew word qodesh and the Greek word hagios refer to Separation from what is temporal or impure...This aspect of Holiness is what I want to highlight re God's people....When God says to His people.....'Be Holy'....It has with it the concept of being separate....When God makes someone or something Holy it is in effect set apart....from that which is not holy...The Hebrew people themselves were holy...They were set apart as a Holy nation.... Deuteronomy 7:6  For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth. We are called to be Holy....The way we live should reveal that Jesus has made a difference...Because our hearts set us apart... God Himself has come to live and abide in us... Colossians 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: That is what sets us apart...That is what makes us Holy...That is what removes a heart of stone and gives a heart of flesh...which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:...What a blessing!!! It's hard to believe with such a blessing in our heart that it is possible to harden our hearts What is it really that can cause us to harden our hearts As in the Provocation....what is this provocation?....Well it takes us right back to Meribah and the water from the rock incident...'........  And he called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah" (Exodus 17:6-7)....Massah = testing.....Meribah = quarrelling...For the Israelites this was a time of quarrelling and testing...Even though they had tasted the goodness and the Love and Grace of God...They still lacked faith in God's provision... Just like the Israelites...We too go through life circumstances that challenge our faith We go through times of testing if we really believe God...We go through trials, that even though we know God has been there for us in the past....Will He be there for us NOW?!  Is He there for us NOW?! Do you know there is one thing the Lord has not given us when we go through our trials and tribulations of life...2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;  We don't have to fear...Whatever life circumstances we find ourselves in...We do not have to fear...Fear will kill your faith....if you choose to fear...faith will diminish...If you choose fear...In your head and heart...faith will struggle...That's what fear does....it's the opposite of faith...In your moments of Provocations...Fear will try and harden your heart...Fear will try and make your love wax cold...Fear might even make you feel like threatening others (Moses) 2Timothy 1:7  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; What spirit has God given us? ....continuing verse 2Tim 1:7.....but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  1John 4:18  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We are not to return to our heart of stone....we have our new heart of love....we are to maintain that heart...we are to protect it...nurture it..Love God with it...Love our neighbour with it...Even love our enemies with it...If there is one thing that should set Christians apart...It's the love of God in us...It's our love for God, one another and our neighbour I know none of us want a Heart that waxes cold...Or a heart that wants to harden itself towards God...We have been given a heart of flesh...A heart of love..It has to be fed...how do we feed it.... Revelation 7:17  For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. It's all about Jesus.....we are His flock...for all time past, present and future..he tends his flock...Heb_12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Whatever is set before us...Don't let it make our heart go cold...Don't let it harden our heart...Don't let our heart fear...Whatever is set before us....allow it to do one thing and one thing only...Allow it to cause us to look unto Jesus...allow the temptation, struggle, pain etc to lead us to Christ not away from Him...Allow it to take us to Jesus in faith... To be fed by Him. ....He will feed us with the bread of life.....and if you are thirsty...he will even provide living water...He will nurture and maintain our Hearts of Flesh...if we let Him...because he says... Matthew 28:20 ............and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.