It's often amazed me how long it took Pharoh to let the Israelites free (you know, for the short time before he attempted to chase them down). His story certainly makes a solid case for stubbornness ... But more than stubbornness, his story is one of hard heartedness.
See, whenever we hear ... well .. anything, we react to it. God's word is no different. When we hear it - when we read it - we react to it some way. Now, maybe we react with joy and emotion. Maybe we react by internalizing it and trying to do what it says. But maybe we react to it by rolling our eyes. Maybe we react in anger. Maybe we react by thinking "sure hope ____ was listening to that". Maybe we react by decisively not reacting in an attempt to ignore. But, we always, always, react.
So here's what hit me tonight: Sometimes I harden my heart. Sometimes I don't let myself be affected by God's word they way I should. Sometimes by distraction, sometimes by choice, I hear God's word or read God's word and walk away changing nothing. Sometimes I even allow myself to think "I knew all that" or "I've got that part down."
How dangerous.
Folks, I am thankful to be confident in my salvation. I so desire to live my life so that I can feel sure in my souls eternal destination. But there is a line. It lies somewhere between confident and overconfident and just like many other lines, it is sometimes hard to spot.
I want my heart to be secure in my salvation - always - period. But I also want my heart to be soft, moldable, and affected by God's word - always - period period.
Because when my heart stops being affected and responsive to God's word ... Well, then I better start to reexamine my confidence level pretty quickly. So, here's to a softer heart ... Because a hard heart can cloud your vision a bit I'm certain .... And I don't even have to learn that the hard way like Pharoh did.
*Thoughts from a couple of recent sermons collided here. You can listen to them here!*
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