For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical.  But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.  His praise is not from man but from God.  Romans 2:28-29 

A Jew believed that anyone circumcised would never go to hell.  Circumcision secured his salvation.  Paul removed this prop from their belief system.  He emphasized that, once again, God does not look at externals but internals.  Circumcision of the heart, not the body, mattered to God.

And the Lord your God will circumcise your heart.  Deut. 30:6 God wants to do surgery on my soul, to cut out or cut away sin, the sin that prevents Him from writing His law on my heart.  I am to be a clean slate and accept whatever He writes.  Fighting him by putting my hands over my ears, shielding my eyes, and even being stiff-necked prevents this internal circumcision from taking place.  So much for respecting the privilege of this holy appointment.

It is no wonder that the Jewish leaders were enraged with Jesus and His apostles.  The message of the Gospel erased what they believed qualified them to inherit salvation.  To learn that all their rituals and external performances were nothing to God must have been devastating.  Perhaps it was too threatening a truth to own.

The Spirit of God is the great surgeon of my soul.  When I interact with the Word and meditate on it, He takes truth to the part of my soul that needs attention.  When His Word cuts like a sword through my strongholds of deception, it feels frightening and emotionally excruciating.  For many decades, I can hang on to a particular lie or way of life.  The longer I resist Him, the more protective and defensive I am of what is killing me.  I need to be broken like a wild horse.  Yielding to the Spirit is what will take me down and then save me.

My heart bears the scars of much surgery.  It was painful, but the results turned out joyfully over time.  I trust You with this holy process.  Make my heart pleasing to you.  Amen