January 10, 2023

Scripture: Ezekiel 11:19 – “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.”

What it means

What a neat passage of scripture from the minor prophet Ezekiel! The Lord is in the process of leading Ezekiel in a vision that reveals the unfaithfulness of the people of Israel, and while the news isn’t good, God is always patient with us and gives us chance after chance after chance…and I usually need it! Earlier in the chapter, God promises to drive the people out of the city and deliver them into the hands of their enemies…but after all is said and done, He will gather them back and eventually return them, minus the idols and detestable images, and verse 19 gives us the good part: they receive an undivided heart, a new spirit, and a heart of flesh, as opposed to a heart of stone. Not bad!

What it means to me

As of this writing, the House just failed for a 7th time to elect a Speaker of the House for the first time in around 100 years, so no matter which side of the aisle you find yourself on – we are a very divided county in many ways. We speak quite a bit about unity at Peck’s, and the importance of unity – even if we disagree on certain issues, and everybody does, we can be unified in our faith. We can be unified in our love for The Lord. We can be unified in loving each other and trying to look out for those less fortunate than us. So, let’s continue to strive for an undivided (or united) heart, a new spirit that is full of hope, joy and love, and a heart of flesh. That will carry us far – Amen?

Love you guys, talk to you on Thursday!

In Christ,

Brian