A heart of flesh reveals itself by how it grieves over sin. To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to tarry even for a moment—this is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone? It calls great wickedness nothing. But not the heart of flesh!

"If to the right or left I stray, That moment, Lord, reprove; And let me weep my life away, For having grieved thy love."

The heart of flesh is tender toward God's will. My Lord Will-be-will is a great blusterer, and it is hard to subject him to God's will. But when the heart of flesh is given, the will quivers like an aspen leaf in every breath of heaven. It bows like an osier in every breeze of God's Spirit. The natural will is cold, hard iron, which is not to be hammered into form. But the renewed will? Like molten metal, it is soon molded by the hand of grace.

In the fleshy heart there is a tenderness of the affections. The hard heart does not love the Redeemer. But the renewed heart burns with affection toward him! The hard heart is selfish and coldly demands, "Why should I weep for sin? Why should I love the Lord?" But the heart of flesh says, "Lord, thou knowest that I love thee—help me to love thee more!"

Many are the privileges of this renewed heart! "'Tis here the Spirit dwells, 'tis here that Jesus rests." It is fitted to receive every spiritual blessing, and every blessing comes to it. It is prepared to yield every heavenly fruit to the honor and praise of God, and therefore the Lord delights in it.

A tender heart is the best defense against sin and the best preparation for heaven. A renewed heart stands on its watchtower, looking for the coming of the Lord Jesus.

Have you this heart of flesh?