Read today’s texts first: Ezekiel 45,46; Luke 1
Only a heart turned towards God
can turn other hearts the same way.
can turn other hearts the same way.
Most people look for a leader that turns heads. When Israel wanted a king, their first choice was Saul, because he stood head and shoulders above everyone else - literally. But God’s choice was David, the runt of his family, because he was a man after His own heart. The heart is more important to God than the head, or the face for that matter. And history proves that only a heart turned towards God can turn other hearts the same way.
Zechariah was told by the angel, Gabriel, that his son would go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous (Luke 1:17). This is exactly what Malachi had prophesied 400 years earlier (Mal. 4:5). John the Baptist would not be a head-turner. His wardrobe of camel’s hair and diet of locusts may have turned a few stomachs, but he would not win people over with his charm and good looks. Yet he did turn hearts and you can only do that in God’s Spirit and power - the same way Elijah did.
The other day I glanced in the rear-view mirror while driving and noticed a patch of whiskers under my nose that somehow I missed while shaving in the shower the past few days. Obviously I need to look in the mirror a little more often, but I’m actually glad that my physical appearance is not high on my list of priorities. “Lord, I want to spend more time developing a heart for You and the lost than I spend in looking good on the outside. Turning hearts is more important than turning heads, and for that I need Your Spirit and power.”
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