God originally said this to the people of Judah years ago, but today I sensed He was speaking to me..."I will take from you your heart of stone and give you a tender heart of love." (Ezekiel 11:19 TLB)
At first, I thought, "I'm a nice guy, a friendly guy, a loving guy...I don't have a heart of stone." That's when God started reminding me of how I live...
self-serving, self-protecting, self-gratifying, self-absorbed.
Selfishness has one effect on me...it makes my heart stone-cold. The results of "living for me" is my stone-cold heart toward God, toward others and toward desperate situations around me.
Is that why Jesus taught things like "deny yourself" and "lose your life"? Because he knew what a selfish life creates within us?
So often I am aware of my heart growing stone-cold...I say things and regret my words, I do things and then wince inside.
I show "stone-like" qualities all too often...I want God to continue His everyday process of a heart transplant within me.