[God, speaking about the Israelite exiles in Babylon:] “And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God.” — Ezekiel 11:19-20 NLT
Key Thought
The work of God’s Spirit is at the core of God’s promise to make a new people, a people with an undivided heart, a tender and responsive heart that moves us to be the people who God wants us to be. The things that human willpower and dedication and the gloriously holy old law could not do, God does by living in us. The Spirit is more than just the power that enables us to be God’s people; the Spirit is also God’s transformational grace that lives in us, unifies us, and leads us truly to be God’s own.
Today’s Prayer
O Father, without your own gracious presence within us through the Holy Spirit, we could never be what you want us to be. So, dear Father, I pray that you fill us, move us, empower us, and lead us to live as your people of redemption. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
