“You are made capable of the life you are invited to live.”
Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – June 13, 2024
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26, ESV
I have a reputation in my family for being a slow driver, and it’s largely a well-earned reputation. On the one hand, I generally enjoy taking my time, and I find driving to be a peaceful and relaxing enterprise, especially when one approaches it with a calm and non-anxious disposition. However, and perhaps more fundamentally, I recently realized that my 14-year-old 4-cylinder sedan is a very slow car. Even if I wanted to go fast, I’m ill-equipped and incapable of doing so! When I borrowed my sister’s lightning-quick car for a road trip the other day, I realized I wasn’t nearly the Sunday driver that I thought myself to be. When my capabilities were transformed, so too were my actions!
Though analogies always break down at a certain point, it is important to remember one of the central truths to the Christian life, and this image of driving cars helpfully illuminates my point: The Christian life isn’t simply about our best intentions. Your capacity must be transformed in order to flourish in your life with Christ.
This transformation lies at the heart of the Spirit’s work in your life, and it is profoundly good news. You aren’t being asked to drive an old sedan at a racecar’s pace! No, you are made capable of the life you are invited to live. Let the truth of that sentence sink in. The Lord is not asking of you an impossible task. When he calls you and me into a life of holiness, he transforms us by his Spirit into men and women in whom he can make his home. And when he invites us to love him with our whole hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:30-31), he heals us from the bondage of self-love and gives us the strength and courage needed to offer our lives as a fragrant sacrifice.
And while this change does not happen overnight, it is nothing less than a transformation. The Lord is at work, even this very moment, taking your old heart of stone and giving you a new heart that is able to love him and receive his love.
Prayer
Father, remind us of the powerful truth that you are at work in our hearts, making us capable of knowing you and living the beautiful life you invite us to live, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Application
Meditate on this truth today: you are made capable of the life you are invited to live.
Related Reading
Psalm 51:10; Ezekiel 11:19; 2 Corinthians 5:17
Worship Resource
Passion feat. Melodie Malone: Holy Ground
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