24 I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries and bring you into your own land. 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. 28 You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

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Wow!  What a great message of hope and mercy!  This is one of those passages that should be planted in all of our memories or taped to our mirrors or posted on our refrigerators.

Look at how the people are described:

• Scattered among the nations
• Spiritually unclean and practicing idolatry
• Stony hearted
• Skipping down the wrong paths

What is God promising to do with these messed up people?

• He will bring them home.
• He will cleanse them from their uncleannesses and from their idols.
• He will give them a new heart and a new spirit—no more stony hearts.
• He will put His Spirit in them and will lead them to walk in His ways.
• He will make them His people, and He will be their God.

This is not just a promise He made to Israel during the old days.  No, His promise is for us as well.  Just as He said He would do for them, He longs to do for us as well.  And it’s not just that He wants to.  He will do these things for us and in us.

He will bring us home.  He will cleanse us.  He will get rid of all the things that keep us from Him.  He will give us His Spirit, to help us want and do His will.  He will keep on making us His people, and He will be our God.

These aren’t just things God wants to do.  These are things God promises to do.

So what’s keeping this from happening in our lives?  It’s not a lack of ability or willingness or effort on God’s part.  Rather, if these things aren’t happening in us, it’s on us.  God will not force us to do things against our will, but He is ready to work in us to the extent that we’re willing to open ourselves up to Him.

Please don’t hold God back from doing His work in your life.  A deeper life with Him is always available to us.  Don’t fight Him on it.  Give in.  Accept His love.  Allow Him to work with you as He sees fit.  He will accomplish everything He intends to do in you;  that’s His promise.  You won’t regret it.