 DO YOU HAVE A HARD HEART? (The cross is the surest way to soften our hearts.) ♥ Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The heart is an amazing organ. It
continuously pumps oxygen and
nutrient-rich blood through our bodies
to sustain life. This fist-size
powerhouse beats 100,000 times per day
and circulates 2,000 gallons of blood
per day.
The spiritual heart is an amazing piece
of work as well. It can be soft to the
touch of God or it can become rock hard.
The Bible gives at least four symptoms
of a hard heart:
The first symptom is repeatedly
countering an action that God desires.
Pharaoh is a perfect picture of this
symptom. God desired freedom for His
people, but Pharaoh desired bondage. We
read in Exodus that Pharaoh hardened his
heart several times in not letting God's
people leave Egypt.
A second symptom is displaying a
critical-attitude toward God and His
work. In Exodus 17:1-7, God's people
complained to, and argued against God
and His leadership because they were
thirsty. They did not trust that the God
who freed them was the same God who
would feed them.
A third symptom is showing an uncaring
attitude toward other people. James
2:15-16 and 1 John 3:17 remind us that
our faith is obligated to look outward
and meet the practical needs of others.
A fourth symptom is failing to
understand God's redemptive work in the
world. Read Mark 3:1-6. Instead of the
religious leaders rejoicing over Jesus'
healing of the man with the deformed
hand, they criticized Him for doing it
on the Sabbath. Jesus was angry and
disturbed by their hard hearts. God is
redeeming His children to Himself in all
parts of the world through various means.
Let God, through His Word, give you a
spiritual EKG (electrocardiogram also
known as ECG). If your heart is hard,
leave your stubborness behind and let
God fill you with His grace. He can
remove a hard heart and replace it with
a soft, pliable heart--one that will obey.
.
THE CROSS IS THE SUREST WAY TO SOFTEN
OUR HEARTS.
.
READ EXODUS 7:8-13
.
The Lord said, "Moses, when the king
asks you and Aaron to perform a miracle,
command Aaron to throw his walking stick
down in front of the king, and it will
turn into a snake."
Moses and Aaron went to the king and his
officials and did exactly as the Lord
had commanded--Aaron threw the stick
down, and it turned into a snake. Then
the king called in the wise men and the
magicians, who used their secret powers
to do the same thing--they threw down
the sticks that turned into snakes. But
Aaron's snake swallowed theirs. The king
behaved just as the Lord had said and
stubbornly refused to listen.
Exodus 7:8-13
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DO YOU HAVE A HARD HEART? (The cross is the surest way to soften our hearts.)
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