“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”
Ezekiel 36:26 NIV
New Heart
At birth, Ontarian Olivier Lanthier was diagnosed with heart failure. During the first years of his life, he had to take a number of medications every day and had to learn how to live with left ventricular hypertrophy. He needed three open-heart surgeries before he was five, until a mechanical valve was installed. By the time he was 14 he needed and underwent a heart transplant. Olivier, now 16, says he has a perfect life, a dream life. His new heart has given him new self-confidence.
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The fact that medical science now performs heart transplants as a matter of course is more than amazing. I remember the first one, back in 1967. In 2020 in Canada, 188 people received a new heart. That is, a physical one. Far more received a new spiritual heart! Ezekiel 36:26 says “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” God was looking forward to the day that Jesus would rise from the dead, the work of redemption completed. Because of what Jesus had accomplished, God gives a complete heart transplant to all who put their faith and trust in Him. The Bible describes our sin-filled heart as a heart of stone. That’s because we have no desire to love God or follow His will for our lives. When we receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord, our only desire is to walk with Him, loving Him and others as we do. His presence makes all the difference in the world. Has Jesus given you a heart transplant? He is always willing to do so.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley