Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Calloused Feet, Calloused Hands" for Thursday, 24 July 2014 - Read Ezekiel 36:24-28

Nashville, Tennessee, United States - The Upper Room Daily Devotional "Calloused Feet, Calloused Hands" for Thursday, 24 July 2014 - Read Ezekiel 36:24-28 “‘For here’s what I’m going to do: I’m going to take you out of these countries, gather you from all over, and bring you back to your own land. I’ll pour pure water over you and scrub you clean. I’ll give you a new heart, put a new spirit in you. I’ll remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that’s God-willed, not self-willed. I’ll put my Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what I tell you and live by my commands. You’ll once again live in the land I gave your ancestors. You’ll be my people! I’ll be your God!
The Sovereign Lord 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.”(Ezekiel 36:26 (NIV))
Growing up in Hawaii, I didn’t have to wear shoes to school until the fifth grade. This meant that for all those years, I never wore shoes at all. And I didn’t need them, because the soles of my feet were as tough as any shoe leather. Whether I was walking on the rough asphalt of the street or the coarse sand of the beach, my feet were so calloused that I never felt any discomfort. But I also missed out on the joy of the springy softness of a lush lawn under my toes. Hardened soles lose all feeling, for good or ill. The same can be true of our hearts. As feet can be toughened by years of contact with rough surfaces, our hearts can be hardened through years of contact with the rocky road of life’s experiences. We can become so tough and cynical that we have trouble experiencing the joy of God’s love and acceptance. Our souls can become so hardened by turning away from pain — our own and that of others — that there is no longer any room in our hearts for the joy we can find in Christ. When we see areas of our lives where we have become insensitive, we can pray and read God’s word to better feel God’s love and to share that love with others.
The Author: David Ladd (Virginia, USA)
Thought for the Day: God can soften even the toughest heart.
Prayer: Dear Father, soften our hearts so we can accept you and your joy in our lives. Amen.
Prayer focus: To acknowledge my insensitivity
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