When Jesus speaks of the new heart, He means the mind, the life, the whole being. To have a change of heart is to withdraw the affections from the world, and fasten them upon Christ. To have a new heart is to have a new mind, new purposes, new motives. What is the sign of a new heart?-- a changed life. There is a daily, hourly dying to selfishness and pride.
The appetites and passions, clamoring for indulgence, trample reason and conscience underfoot. This is the cruel work of Satan, and he is constantly putting forth the most determined efforts to strengthen the chains by which he has bound his victims. Those who have been all their lives indulging wrong habits do not always realize the necessity of a change. . . . Let the conscience be aroused and much is gained. Nothing but the grace of God can convict and convert the heart; here alone can the slaves of custom obtain power to break the shackles which bind them. The self- indulgent must be led to see and feel that a great moral renovation is necessary if they would meet the claims of the divine law; the soul- temple has been defiled, and God calls upon them to arouse and strive with all their might to win back the God- given manhood which has been sacrificed through sinful indulgence.
Oh, what rays of softness and beauty shone forth in the daily life of our Saviour! What sweetness flowed from His very presence! The same spirit will be revealed in His children. Those with whom Christ dwells will be surrounded with a divine atmosphere. Their white robes of purity will be fragrant with perfume from the garden of the Lord. Their faces will reflect light from His, brightening the path for stumbling and weary feet.
No man who has the true ideal of what constitutes a perfect character will fail to manifest the sympathy and tenderness of Christ. The influence of grace is to soften the heart, to refine and purify the feelings, giving a heaven- born delicacy and sense of propriety.
From God's Amazing Grace - Page 98
NOTE: Due to my busy schedule right now, my friend, Chelsey, is the contributor to today's "Morning Sonshine" thought. Thank you Chelsey!!
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