How to Recover a Tender Heart
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. -Heb. 3:13
How will men recover themselves when their hearts are subject to hardness, deadness, and insensibleness?
(1) As when things are cold, we bring them to the fire to heat and melt, so we bring our cold hearts to the fire of the love of Christ. Consider our sin is against Christ, and Christ's love towards us; dwell upon this meditation. Think what great love Christ has showed to us, and how little we have deserved, and this will make our hearts to melt, and be as pliable as wax before the sun.
(2) If you would have a tender and melting heart, then use the means; be always under the sunshine of the gospel; and help one another. Physicians love not to give medicine to themselves. So, a man is not always fit to help himself when he is not right; but good company is fit to do it.
'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us?' said the two disciples, holding communion with each other at Emmaus (Luke 24:32). Christ says, 'Where two or three are met together in his name, he is in the midst of them' (Matt. 18:20). Where two hold communion, there Christ will make a third. David could not recover himself but needed Nathan to help him (2 Sam. 12:7). Therefore, if we would recover ourselves from hard and insensible hearts, let us use the help of one another.
(3) We must with boldness and reverence challenge the covenant of grace; for this is the covenant that God has made with us, to give us tender hearts, hearts of flesh, as Ezekiel 11:19 says, 'I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take away the stony hearts out of their bodies, and I will give them a heart of flesh.' Now seeing this is a covenant God has made let us challenge him with his promise and go to him by prayer. Entreat him to give you a fleshly heart; go to him, wait his time, for that is the best time. These are the means to bring tenderness of heart.
(1) As when things are cold, we bring them to the fire to heat and melt, so we bring our cold hearts to the fire of the love of Christ. Consider our sin is against Christ, and Christ's love towards us; dwell upon this meditation. Think what great love Christ has showed to us, and how little we have deserved, and this will make our hearts to melt, and be as pliable as wax before the sun.
(2) If you would have a tender and melting heart, then use the means; be always under the sunshine of the gospel; and help one another. Physicians love not to give medicine to themselves. So, a man is not always fit to help himself when he is not right; but good company is fit to do it.
'Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us?' said the two disciples, holding communion with each other at Emmaus (Luke 24:32). Christ says, 'Where two or three are met together in his name, he is in the midst of them' (Matt. 18:20). Where two hold communion, there Christ will make a third. David could not recover himself but needed Nathan to help him (2 Sam. 12:7). Therefore, if we would recover ourselves from hard and insensible hearts, let us use the help of one another.
(3) We must with boldness and reverence challenge the covenant of grace; for this is the covenant that God has made with us, to give us tender hearts, hearts of flesh, as Ezekiel 11:19 says, 'I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take away the stony hearts out of their bodies, and I will give them a heart of flesh.' Now seeing this is a covenant God has made let us challenge him with his promise and go to him by prayer. Entreat him to give you a fleshly heart; go to him, wait his time, for that is the best time. These are the means to bring tenderness of heart.
Devotional Readings taken from Puritan Richard Sibbes 'Refreshment for the Soul.'
Josiah's Reformation, pp. 35-37 [27-28]
Banner of Truth has granted permission for the use of this material.
Josiah's Reformation, pp. 35-37 [27-28]
Banner of Truth has granted permission for the use of this material.
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January
One Thing (1)One Thing (2)Our Thoughts and Desires Reveal Who We AreThe Christian's Desire for God's House (1)The Christian's Desire for God's House (2)What the Soul Was Made ForGod Makes the Heart TenderMaintaining a Tender Heart (1)Maintaining a Tender Heart (2)Maintaining a Tender Heart (3)Maintaining a Tender Heart (4)Test to See if Your Heart is TenderHow to Recover a Tender HeartBenefits of a Tender HeartKings Must Humble Themselves Before GodHow to Humble Ourselves (1)How to Humble Ourselves (2)How to Humble Ourselves (3)Proneness to PrideHumilityTrue versus False Humility (1)True versus False Humility (2)True versus False Humility (3)Both Outward Devotion and Inward AffectionWeeping for the ChurchWeeping and Rejoicing Mixed (1)Weeping and Rejoicing Mixed (2)God Hears Our Prayers--His PartWhen It Seems God Doesn't HearThe Privilege of PrayerGod Hears Our Prayers--Our Part
February
Death Is a Gathering (1)Death Is a Gathering (2)The Righteous Preserve their NationGod's Righteous JudgmentThe Importance of Knowing God Loves Me (1)The Importance of Knowing God Loves Me (2)Abundance Is Not an Accurate Sign of God's LoveRun to GodChristian UnityChrist In Us (1)Christ In Us (2)Christ In Us (3)Christ In Us (4)Christ In Us (5)Christ the Servant: the MediatorThe Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax (1)The Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax (2)The Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax (3)The Bruised Reed and the Smoking Flax (4)God Knows Our FrameLittle at First (1)Little at First (2)Sometimes Tender, Sometimes Tough (1)Sometimes Tender, Sometimes Tough (2)Avoiding Unnecessary RulesThe Weaker BrotherExtend Grace to One AnotherThe Covenant of GraceThe Light of God Compared to Fire (1)
March
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