If we get off track in life, is it possible to change—to get onto the right path into a good future? The prophet Ezekiel—who wrote during a time when the people of Israel were in great trouble because of how they had strayed from God—answered that question with a resounding “yes.” The answer, he said, is to turn to God in faith and commitment. As we do so, even serious wrongs that we have done will be wiped away, and God will give us “a new heart and a new spirit,” so that we can live into the good and bright future that God intends for us.

The words of Ezekiel find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. Jesus offers us forgiveness and a cleansing of our soul, and through Jesus we are given the Holy Spirit—God’s Spirit working within us, to change our hearts, and to enable us to live as God’s people.

Do you need a new heart and a new spirit? Ezekiel urges us to turn to the Lord, so that we can experience this promise of God:

“I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your sins. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will put My Spirit within you, so that you can walk in My ways of life.” [Ezekiel 36:25-28]

Sunday’s Scripture Lessons:
Ezekiel 18:1–4, 19–24, 30–32
Titus 3:3–7
Ezekiel 36:25–28
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About the Author

Dr. David A. Palmer has been the senior pastor at the United Methodist Church of Kent since 1995. He has a B.A. from Wittenberg University, a Master of Divinity from Duke University, and a Doctor of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary. A native of Wooster, Ohio, he has served three other churches in east Ohio before coming to Kent. He and his wife, Mavis, have three children.