Friday, January 31, 2020
Watch Your Heart
Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. (Hebrews 3:12 nlt)
Sometimes some of the worst sinners are people raised in Christian homes, because they rebel against it. On the other hand, sometimes some of the greatest saints come from Christian homes. It just depends on the person.
We love to put all the blame on the parents. But we have a say about the direction we take in life, regardless of how we were raised (or not raised). In reality, we need to have our own faith. We can’t live off the faith of someone else. We need our own relationship with Jesus Christ.
Actually, one of the easiest places our hearts can become hardened to the gospel is in the church. As we hear the truth of the gospel, as we hear the truth of God’s Word, we decide whether we’ll be responsive or resistant to it.
The same sun that softens the wax hardens the clay. Let’s take the pharaoh of Egypt for example. Moses went to him and demanded that he release the Hebrews from captivity. Then Pharaoh watched miracle after miracle that Moses performed by the power of God. Yet Pharaoh hardened his heart again and again.
But then we read that the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Is it a contradiction? No, it’s two sides of the same coin. Pharaoh was the one who decided to harden his heart in the presence of God. We could translate that word hardened as “strengthened.” In other words, the Lord strengthened Pharaoh in the decision he already made. God simply confirmed Pharaoh in his choice.
Pharaoh dedicated himself to evil in direct opposition to God’s redemptive plan. He chose evil; God did not choose it for him. In fact, God offered him opportunity after opportunity to repent, but he decided not to.
Yes, hearts can become hard, even in church. So be careful.
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Grief is one of life’s most difficult challenges. Pastor Greg Laurie experienced this truth when his son Christopher passed away suddenly. Discover comfort and healing in times of pain as you read his book Hope for Hurting Hearts. Receive your copy as our gift for your donation of any amount to Harvest Ministries this month.
