We are often reminded in God’s Word that the heart is the wellspring of life. It’s where living waters flow. It’s where “God resides”. It’s made new and good in Christ. A good heart makes us cheerful, and spreads life.

As such, the condition of our heart is most serious. Yet, how often do we attempt to deaden it, ignore it, harden it, and/or deprive it. We may do these things because we feel as though our hearts can’t be trusted. They are immature, foolish, and not responsible. Perhaps our hearts are childish, and we fear listening to it, for it isn’t responsible, isn’t professional, and is dangerous. We can confuse it with our flesh.

Yet, the opposite is true for Jesus’ followers. For our old hearts of stone have been made new, are good and have been softened. They can now tell and teach us much.

But we have to receive and believe the love God has for us is real – that all He says about our new condition is true. This includes learning to love ourselves, and even risking to share genuine love with others, which is so different from anything we may have ever seen or experienced before.

That’s because this kind of living and loving mirrors the relentless love of God. It’s love with no strings attached. It’s not lustful, controlling, domineering, or controlling.

Instead, it considers the hearts of others, and how our words and actions might affect them. It actually cares for the condition and well-being of others’ hearts, and this includes caring for our own.

It dares to bring our hearts to relationships, to friendships, to work, even to strangers – trusting fully that God has our backs.

What do we believe the blood Jesus shed on the cross did and does? Why did He die for us? Was it to leave our hearts bad? Or, is it true that He now resides in the heart of every believer, and has given each of us a new life with new hearts?

Granted, our changes may be subtle and small for there are still wounds and mental entanglements that need healing.

We will still stumble and make mistakes, but God residing in our new hearts will help us as we learn to take Him, our new life, and our new hearts seriously.