A New Heart and a New Start

Think of a stone. Cold, hard. Impenetrable and un-malleable. That’s how Ezekiel described the heart before God replaces it with a heart of flesh. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26) A heart of stone is self-centered, is not bothered by sin, and does not care about the issues God cares about. A stone heart does not love God, in un-teachable and, like the “stony ground” of Matthew 13:20 – 21, is unproductive in the work of God.

The good news is that God gives us a heart transplant. Because of God’s love and mercy in sending His Son, Jesus, to absorb the penalty for our wrongdoings, He removes our heart of “stone” and gives us a heart of “flesh.” A heart of flesh is clean (Psalm 51:10), loves God, and is grieved by sin. A heart of flesh is the dwelling place of God’s love and Spirit (Romans 5:5 and Psalm 51:10) and is therefore teachable, sensitive to God’s will, and is able to be led by the Holy Spirit to do what pleases God. Not only this, but Romans 5:5 says that because of the grace we’ve obtained by faith in Christ, our new heart enables us to persevere and have hope during trials and tribulations. “And hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

What kind of heart do you have? Is it a cold, impenetrable, “stone” heart that does not care about the things of God? Or is it a heart of “flesh” that loves God? The words of Ezekiel 36:26 are a good prayer for yourself or someone you care about. It is God who performs the heart transplant because of the love and mercy He showed us in sending Jesus to take the penalty for our sins. By faith in Jesus, we have a new heart, a new start, and a new life. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

God removes the heart of stone and replaces it with a heart of flesh. Now we are responsible for taking care of our heart so it can carry out its amazing job of pumping oxygen and nutrients to every cell in our body. And caring for your heart brings about numerous side benefits: controlled weight, lowered blood pressure, increased endurance, more even blood sugar levels, stronger muscles and bones, improved blood lipid levels, increased circulation and a lifted sense of well-being. With all these benefits, who would not want to do what’s best for the heart?

So how do you care for your heart? Activity! By getting your body moving so that your heart rate is temporarily increased. Your breathing will pick up (You don’t want to be out of breath, though!) and you will feel that you are putting in some effort. Walking (outdoors, in a mall or on a treadmill), jogging, cycling, swimming, cross country skiing, dancing, climbing stairs, playing a sport or pumping your legs on an elliptical machine or stationary bicycle are all examples of activities that will accomplish this.

Remember that this does not have to be breathless, exhausting, unsustainable activity. It can be moderate – an exertion level you can continue for several minutes. You can do vigorous exercise if you are fit, but moderate is good because you are more likely to stick with it! Regular, moderately vigorous exercise significantly reduces the risk of heart disease. (For more information about heart disease, click here.)

Before beginning any exercise program, get your doctor’s approval. This is essential if you are over 50, smoke, or have heart disease (or a family history of heart disease), or have diabetes or any orthopedic condition you want checked.

Begin your activity at a slower rate for five minutes to gradually warm up your joints and muscles and ramp up your heart rate. If you are just starting, you might do five or ten minutes of activity. But gradually over several weeks you should build up to at least 30 minutes per day, five days per week (for a total of 150 minutes per week). If you are able to do 30 minutes every day, that’s fine too! Before finishing, spend another five minutes cooling down at a relaxed pace to let your heart rate drop down to its normal level. You may click to read a previous posting about cardiovascular activities.

Remember that this is moderate intensity. On a scale of 0 to 10 (Your Rate of Perceived Exertion – a barometer of how hard you feel that you are working), you want to exert yourself at a level between 4 and 6 (moderate to moderately hard). If you want to work vigorously, at a level of 7 to 8, you could exercise for at least 20 minutes, three times per week. Another way to monitor your intensity is to measure your heart rate. Take your pulse at your wrist for ten seconds and multiply by six to get the number of beats per minute. (There is a formula to calculate your target heart rate range.)

Take care of your heart of flesh and benefit other aspects of your body as well. You will be better able to go the length in caring for those you love! Happy Valentine’s Day!