A CIRCUMCISED HEART

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised.” Genesis 17:9-12

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.  Luke 2:21

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.  Deuteronomy 30:6

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Today was a typical microcosm of what happens to me every day. All I can say is it is an amazing experience to be in the presence of the Holy Spirit every day, driven to the Lord’s purpose.

So I was sitting here wondering what I would write about on this first day of the new year when all of a sudden, a thought rushes into my mind saying to me, “Look at New Year’s traditions.” And that’s what I did, using my trusty Google search engine to look at how people had celebrated this day in years past.

I’ll be honest with you, most of what I looked at initially failed to appeal to me let alone drive me toward any inspiration to write a devotion. But then I ran onto something amazing in the history of our Christian church that taught me something new and led me to today’s subject of circumcision of the heart.

You see, this day, January 1st, is not just the first day of the year but also the eighth day after the birth of our Savior, who was unnamed at first. Did you know that?

By Jewish tradition and custom, a male was to be circumcised eight days after birth as a sign of the covenant between God and His people Israel. Look at this word from Genesis:

“Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. This is My covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between Me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised.”    Genesis 17:9-12

And so it was with Jesus. Joseph and Mary had Him circumcised on the eighth day and it was then that He was names Jesus, just as Gabriel had commanded Mary to name Him. We find this truth on Luke’s Gospel:

On the eighth day, when it was time to circumcise the child, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.  Luke 2:21

This day, January 1st, is the day Jesus was circumcised and named. It reflects that at the time He was fully child and fully Jewish – One who would reign as the King of the Jews and King of all kings. He was not bound by the law but rather came to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). In the history of the Catholic Church, this day was once a celebration called the Feast of the Circumcision held on the Octave Day of Christmas or the eighth day following Christmas. The holiday was observed with a Mass which recognized that Christ’s blood was first shed at His circumcision, a precursor to the blood He would shed at crucifixion. During the Mass, Mary the Blessed Virgin would also be recognized with special prayers.

I have to admit, I had lost sight of today, New Year’s Day, being the day when our Lord Jesus was named and circumcised. It has shed a whole new light on the way I look at today and opened up new doors to celebration. It also opens up a new prayer for the new year for all believers. Look at this final passage from Deuteronomy and I’ll explain:

The Lord your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live.  Deuteronomy 30:6

  

The circumcision of males at age eight was an outward sign of one’s commitment to the covenant God made with Abraham but it was far from meaning that the circumcised person had given themselves inwardly to God. This is why this scripture from Deuteronomy is crucial to us and our faith walk. For God wants our hearts to be crucified, turned toward Him and His ways, committed to follow His will in all things. For when we turn our hearts fully to Him, we will experience His grace, mercy, and love to the fullest extent.

In other words, we will love Him with all our heart and soul, and with all our life.

Friends, has your heart been truly circumcised? Has it fully turned to God the Father in obedience and submission to His will and ways?

If so, then I praise God that you are living for Him to the fullest. May you continue to do so in the New Year.

If you haven’t allowed your heart to be circumcised by God, my prayer is that today will be the day you do so, the day when our Savior was circumcised and given the Name above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:9-11). Won’t you submit to Him and love Him with all your heart and soul as He loves you.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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