Chapter 2 · Encounter 24 of 48
Loved into New Life
Prepare
Throughout this chapter, we've encountered the God who takes the initiative to create, call, seek, sustain, and restore. We've seen his steadfast love endure through human failure, suffering, and rebellion.
Now Ezekiel describes God's promise to give his people a new heart and a new spirit. John describes the love that begins with God and becomes visible in the lives of those who know him.
As you read, notice what God promises to do within his people and how his love becomes the source of their love for others.
Read Scripture
Open each passage here without leaving this Encounter.
Ezek. 36:25-27
25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26I 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. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
Ponder
- In Ezekiel, what does God promise to do for his people that they could not accomplish simply by trying harder? What does this reveal about the Shepherd's determination to restore not only their circumstances but also their hearts?
- John says that love comes from God and that we love because he first loved us. How does this illuminate the pattern you've encountered throughout this chapter? What might change in your understanding of your relationship with God when you recognize that even your response of love begins with his gracious initiative?
Look Again
Did you notice how often God says "I will" in Ezekiel 36:25–27 25I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26I 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. 27And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Ezek. 36:25-27
He promises to cleanse his people, give them a new heart, put a new spirit within them, and move them to follow his ways.
Now return to 1 John 4:19 19We love because he first loved us. 1 John 4:19
The Shepherd's pursuit doesn't end when his people return. His grace continues working within them, making possible the very life to which he calls them.
Consider how these promises bring together what you've discovered about God's character throughout this chapter.
Practice
Take a few minutes to look back over the encounters in this chapter.
Which picture of God's pursuing love has most deepened or challenged your understanding of him? Perhaps it was his initiative in calling Abraham, his care for Elijah, his steadfastness toward rebellious Israel, or his willingness to reconcile sinners through Christ.
Return to that passage and consider how it has changed the way you recognize the Shepherd's character.
Choose one simple way to respond to his love today—not to earn his favor, but because his grace has already been at work in your life.
Prayer
Thank God for the ways he has sought, sustained, forgiven, and restored his people throughout the biblical story.
Speak with him about what you've discovered of his character and where your understanding of his love has changed.
Ask him to continue renewing your heart so that you increasingly recognize his grace, trust his faithfulness, and reflect his love in the world.