Father sitting with two children on a patterned rug in a living room
Bible, Hebrews, Judgment, Numbers, Obedience, Scripture, Sin

WHEN GOD SPEAKS

HEBREWS 3:17

“And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness?”

My dad didn’t mince words. What I mean by that is when he said something he meant it. If he told me and my siblings to do something, he expected us to do it. He taught us that early so when we got into those teenage years, we knew there was no reason to try to “negotiate.” When he said it, that was it. He had the final word on things.

God has the final word on everything. Today’s verse goes back to Numbers 14:28-30 when God laid down the law about His decision regarding those who rebelled against Him in the wilderness. It says, “28 ‘Say to them, “As I live,” declares the LORD, “just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I will do to you; 29 your dead bodies will fall in this wilderness, all your numbered men according to your complete number from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against Me. 30 By no means will you come into the land where I swore to settle you, except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.”’” And what He said came true. After 40 years, only Joshua and Caleb remained. Wow!

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

Boy, if this isn’t a Command to Obey and a Promise to claim I am not sure what is. The command would be to obey what the Lord says. There is no need to question His word when it is clearly given. When God told Adam and Eve to not eat of the tree in the garden and they did, what did He do? Exactly what He said He would do. Death entered mankind. When God told the people of Israel to not worship other gods and they did, what did He do? Exactly what He said He would do. He judged them, often with an ungodly nation.

The promise He gives, though, is just as true. He promises us blessings if we obey. He promises us eternal life if we come to Him for salvation. He promises to care and watch over us if we follow His will. What are you going to do, rebel and suffer the consequences or follow the Lord in obedience? God is not going to change His mind. He stands for justice and truth. His integrity can never be challenged. Trust His word, whether to dispense justice or blessings.

I am reminded again of one of my favorite verses. It is found in Joshua 21:45. “Not one of the good promises which the LORD had made to the house of Israel failed; everything came to pass.” Keep in mind this was written AFTER the Numbers passage. After He had judged them in the wilderness, He kept His promises which He had promised them. All of them. He does the same for us. Obey Him and reap the blessings of His promises.

Thank You, Lord, for holding me accountable and also for blessing me as I obey You.

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Protesters confront riot police amid fire and smoke; wall reads “NO JUSTICE NO PEACE.”
Bible, Hearing, Hebrews, Listening, Provoke, Scripture

WHO ARE THE AGITATORS?

HEBREWS 3:16

“For who provoked Him when they had heard? Indeed, did not all those who came out of Egypt led by Moses?”

Recently, in part of Europe we have seen some civil unrest which resulted in riots. What may have begun as a peaceful march escalated into burning buildings, looting businesses and destroying property. The authorities have traced most of this back to a certain group of agitators who provoked others into these actions. It’s amazing how a small number can have such a huge impact on a crowd that is leaning a certain way.

That is exactly what the writer of Hebrews is referring to in today’s verse. He asks a question and then answers it. Who heard God and then provoked His wrath by their disobedience? It was the whole crowd. Murmur after murmur against Moses was heard. We want water. We want bread. We want meat. God had just rescued them from 400 years of slavery and they still complained.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

An Application to make is seen in our verse. We must avoid the trap of hearing but not listening. Did you catch that? It’s the difference between a cat and dog. You can call a dog by name and usually he will come to you. Cats, on the other hand, expect you to come to them. Lol. The Hebrews in the wilderness heard God when He spoke through Moses, but they refused to listen to what He said. Time and time again they bucked His commands. It’s no wonder God threatened to wipe them all away.

The Greek word translated “provoked” is only used here in the New Testament. It’s the Greek word parapikrainó from para (alongside) and pikraino (to embitter). It means to exasperate. Have you ever tried to teach someone something and they just couldn’t do it? You can easily get exasperated, can’t you? The Topical Lexicon says, “By choosing this rare verb the epistle deliberately reaches back to the Greek of Psalm 95:8 in the Septuagint, fusing Israel’s historical defiance with the present danger of Christian apostasy.” There’s our application!

Let me encourage you today to take the time to truly hear God and listen to what He is saying. As my wife and I start down this road of another physical trial in my health, we are straining to hear His voice. We only want to do what He wants us to do. It doesn’t do any good to pray to hear the Lord and then refuse the answer He gives. Accept His answer with humility. After all, the God of the universe loves you enough to talk to you. Isn’t that amazing in itself?

Speak, Lord, and help me to truly listen to Your guidance.

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Open Bible with coffee and reading glasses on a wooden table
Bible, Hard, Hebrews, Provoke, Psalms, Scripture

WORTH REPEATING

HEBREWS 3:15

“while it is said, ‘TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS, AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME.’”

Sometimes saying the same thing twice is a good thing. Preachers do this all the time when they are delivering a sermon. They will tell you what they are going to say, they say it and then they tell you what they said. Repetition helps us remember things. In the ministry I am a part of, we teach men when they memorize a verse to quote the reference before they say it and after they say it because learning the reference can be the hardest thing.

Obviously, the writer of Hebrews felt it was important to repeat Psalm 95:7 again. He had just quoted it earlier in this chapter. He warns us once again to not harden our hearts so as to provoke the Lord once we have heard His voice. This is important. If you claim to have heard from the Lord and then refuse to obey, you can expect the Lord to deal with you. Let’s look at this admonition again.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We are given a couple of crystal clear Commands to Obey. The verse says, “do not harden your hearts” and also that we should not “provoke” the Lord. How do we do that? Simple, by refusing to listen to His voice or to obey Him once we have heard Him. What do you think the writer was referring to? The readers of this letter were a mainly Jewish audience. They had the Scriptures in which the prophetic statements regarding Christ were written. They would be held responsible for knowing those truths and not responding.

But before you judge them, so will we. We have the benefit of having the full Scriptures, all 66 books of the Bible. Every book points toward Jesus. We can’t escape that fact. When we read the Word, we are listening to the voice of God. You may have heard it said, “If you want to hear God’s voice, read the Bible out loud.” How true. So, if you read it and hear Him, are you obeying or have you hardened your heart?

Carl, my heart isn’t hard. I believe in God. It’s not about belief. It’s about obedience. Go back and read verses 13 and 14 along with today’s verse. This is the picture the writer is painting for us. His warning was worth the repeat, wasn’t it? Psalm 95:7 didn’t just apply to those in the Old Testament. It has as much relevance today as then. Do not harden your heart and do not provoke the Lord.

Father, I want to obey You and keep my heart as soft as putty in Your hands.

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Marcus Johnson signs National Signing Day 2024 papers for University of California Berkeley
Bible, Commitment, Hebrews, Loyalty, Partakers, Scripture

KEEPING OUR COMMITMENT

HEBREWS 3:14

“For we have become partakers of Christ if we keep the beginning of our commitment firm until the end,”

In this day and age, it is a rare thing to find someone who will keep their commitment. One of the most glaring examples of this is the college football scene. In the past, a player would commit to a school, keep that commitment and play for three, four or even five years (if they received a red shirt year). Students didn’t hop from school to school. Now, if a player keeps their original commitment to a school it is celebrated. Gone are the days of loyalty to a school that spent time and energy recruiting that player.

The writer calls us out in today’s verse. He basically says if we don’t keep our original commitment to follow Jesus, we never really belonged to Christ. In Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible it is written regarding this “beginning of our commitment,” “by ‘confidence’ is meant faith, which is an hypostasis, or subsistence, which is the word here used; and is so called, because it gives a kind of subsistence, substance, or being, to things it is concerned with, Hebrews 11:1 and because it is a great support to believers, under their various exercises; and is that by which they have an open, spiritual, and comfortable subsistence, and abiding in Christ:” I know, that’s a mouthful. Gill is saying that this “beginning of our commitment” is our initial faith in Jesus. We cannot desert that.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

There is a Promise to claim in today’s verse. Look at the verse again. It says, “we have become partakers of Christ.” The Greek word for “partakers” is métoxos “(from metéxō, ‘share in,’ derived from metá, ‘with change afterward’ and éxō, ‘have’) – properly, change due to sharing, i.e. from being an ‘active partaker with.’” (HELPS Word-studies) Did you get all that? This means we are changed due to sharing. We are changed by Christ by sharing with Christ. Wow!

But this promise is contingent on us keeping the faith, keeping our original commitment. I am reminded of the warning given to us by John in 1 John 2:19. “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be evident that they all are not of us.” Have you known people like that? They have a religious experience and get involved for a while in church, but the first sign of difficulties and they disappear. They were not partakers of Christ, or they would have been changed.

So, we need to keep the faith. There’s a Command to Obey and an Application to make for you. Can you do that? Lean into Jesus. He is all you need. Reflect back on the excitement and zeal you experienced when you first surrendered to Him. Make that your motivation each day and live for Him. Amen?

Father God, thank You for making me a partaker with Jesus and sustaining my faith day by day.

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Bulldogs fans cheering during a youth baseball game
Bible, Comfort, Encouragement, Family, Hebrews, Listening, Scripture

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

HEBREWS 3:13

“But encourage one another every day, as long as it is still called ‘today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Everyone likes to be encouraged. Isn’t that true? Think of all the parents at the ballfields during football, soccer or baseball seasons. Why are they there? To encourage their child(ren) to do their best and to lift them up if their team falls short of the victory. It’s a proven fact that children whose parents regularly attend their games play harder and better. Just ask the coaches.

So, today we have the writer of Hebrews telling us through the Holy Spirit to do that very thing for each other. He writes, “encourage one another every day.” We’ll look at some other spots in the New Testament where this is also mentioned. But look closely at why he tells us to do this. He says, “so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” You see, living the Christian life isn’t meant to be a solo sport. You need teammates to come alongside you. In fact, the Greek word for “encourage” means exactly that. It means to come near or to comfort. That’s what encourages us, right?

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We see here a clear Command to Obey since “encourage” is in the Imperative. That’s the Greek command voice. It’s also in the Present tense which means to continue doing it. We should do this every day. Don’t stop. Keep encouraging! In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, Paul uses this same command. “Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing.” Earlier in the same book, Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 4:18, “Therefore, comfort one another with these words.” The word “comfort” is the same word translated as “encourage” in our text today and in 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

In Hebrews 10:24-25, the writer gives us the same admonition. “24 and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” I think you can see this is important for us to do for each other.

Is there someone you need to encourage today? Maybe someone is going through a hard, physical challenge right now and just needs to know you are praying for them. Recently, when I went through one of those, I had friends and family reach out to me to encourage and pray for me. What a blessing. And that makes me want to reach out to others also. Ask the Lord to show you who He would have you encourage. Then do it. Call them or text them. Let them know they are in your prayers. Encourage one another.

Thank You, Lord, for sending others into my life to encourage me. Help me do the same.

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Two people walking toward a stone church beside a village cemetery
Bible, Evil, Heart, Hebrews, Scripture, Unbelief

EVIL, UNBELIEVING HEART

HEBREWS 3:12

“Take care, brothers and sisters, that there will not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.”

What makes a person evil? Is it imbedded in their DNA? Do they learn the behavior? We know that since the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden, every person born is born into sin. But there are many good, lost people. What changes them into evil human beings? In today’s verse we are able to see the cause.

The Greek literally says “an evil heart of unbelief.” Barnes says, “An unbelieving heart was the cause of ‘their’ apostasy, and what worked their ruin will produce ours. The root of their evil was ‘a want of confidence in God’ – and this is what is meant here by a heart of unbelief.” The Greek word for “evil” is poneros which is more than evil. It’s a degenerative, hurtful evil that goes totally against God’s design. And the Greek word for “unbelieving” is apistia which is the negated form of pistis (faith).

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

There is an Application to make here that tells us to guard ourselves from this evil, unbelieving heart so we don’t fall away. The Greek word for “falls away” means “instigate to revolt; usually (reflexively) to desist, desert, etc. — depart, draw (fall) away, refrain, withdraw self.” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). It’s used fourteen times in the New Testament in a variety of ways. In 1 Timothy 4:1 we see it used in a similar way as in today’s verse. “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,…”

You see, the evil, unbelieving heart which has no confidence in God can easily be lead astray. If you do not believe in God and in the saving power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you have no hope. Having no hope will cause you to do all sorts of things. Do you have confidence in God? Do you believe? Then rest in that and you will not fall away.

You could also list this verse as a Sin to avoid for we know that unbelief is sin. Unbelief is the surest way to find evil. Unbelief is the one sin that is unforgiveable. God cannot ignore sin. We know that. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us (1 John 1:9). But the sin of unbelief puts us outside the realm of His forgiveness. We must believe in order to receive forgiveness. Aren’t you glad you believe?

Thank You, Lord, that I know I am standing on solid ground with You and am forgiven.

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HIGHWAY REST STOP; CAFE, FUEL, INFORMATION, WASHROOMS
Anger, Bible, Disobedience, Hebrews, Psalms, Rest, Scripture, Wrath

NO REST

HEBREWS 3:11

“‘AS I SWORE IN MY ANGER, “THEY CERTAINLY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.”’”

Have you ever been traveling and needed to stop at a rest stop on the highway? Those rest stops are generally placed every 50-60 miles apart to allow travelers to rest every hour, if needed. So, the next time you are on the road and miss that much needed rest stop, know there will probably be another one in about an hour (unless you’re stuck in that awesome interstate traffic, lol).

There were no rest stops in the wilderness. The rest referred to in today’s verse which is quoted from Psalm 95:11 is God’s perfect rest. God was done trying to rescue this rebellious lot, so He banned them from the promised land. Albert Barnes has a good explanation of this passage. “It is called ‘my rest’ here, meaning that it was such rest as God had provided, or such as he enjoyed. The particular ‘rest’ referred to here was that of the land of Canaan, but which was undoubtedly regarded as emblematic of the ‘rest’ in heaven. Into that rest God solemnly said they should never enter. They had been rebellious. All the means of reclaiming them had failed. God had warned and entreated them; he had caused his mercies to pass before them and had visited them with judgments in vain; and he now declares that for all their rebellion they should be excluded from the promised land.”

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We can obviously see a Sin to avoid in this verse. Rebelling against the Lord had obvious consequences. Not a single adult, except Joshua and Caleb, entered the Promised Land after they had rebelled against the Lord. Their refusal to follow Joshua and Caleb’s report and trust in the Lord resulted in their banishment. I find it interesting that once they heard God’s judgment, they decided to go ahead and try to enter Canaan. They were immediately defeated and sent running by the enemy. That’s what happens to us, as well. When we are outside the umbrella of God’s protection, the enemy can easily defeat us.

The Greek word “rest” is katapausis which occurs nine times in the New Testament, eight of those here in Hebrews (3:11, 18; 4:1, 3 (2x), 5, 10, 11). Take a minute or two and look up all those verses to see how the word is used. I particularly like Hebrews 4:10-11. “10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. 11 Therefore let’s make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following the same example of disobedience.”

So, we have a choice, don’t we. We can rest in Christ, or we can have no rest. What’s your choice? I choose rest. These past couple of weeks I have been forced to rest my body to recover from an expected surgery to repair a kidney bleed that left me weak and sore. I have slept more than I have in years. But my body knew I needed that rest. I also know my spirit needs to rest. I have to allow Christ to heal my spiritual bumps and bruises. He can give me perfect peace. It’s yours for the asking as well.

Thank You, Lord, for Your perfect peace available in Jesus.

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Hiker with backpack walking along a mountain ridge trail
Bible, Disobedience, Hebrews, Old Self, Scripture, Sin, Straying

GOING ASTRAY

HEBREWS 3:10

“THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’;”

There is a spot where I go hunting on a friend’s lease that requires me to know exactly where I am going. Once I took what I thought was a shorter route to the tree stand only to wind up right in the middle of a thicket that was full of downed timber. It was practically impossible to walk through without crawling over logs and through some horrible thorny vines. Needless to say, I learned my lesson about taking my eyes off the path.

It is so easy to go astray if we take our eyes off the One Who is guiding us. The writer of Hebrews quotes verse 10 of Psalm 95 here which says, “‘For forty years I was disgusted with that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart,

and they do not know My ways.’” These Hebrew children erred time and time again and strayed from God’s commands. But we are the same. We think we know best, right?

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We can see an Application to make here. God is telling us to stay on the path, do not stray. The Greek word for “astray” is planáō which means “go astray, get off-course; to deviate from the correct path (circuit, course), roaming into error, wandering; (passive) be misled. Planáō is the root of the English term, planet (‘wandering body’). This term nearly always conveys the sin of roaming.” (HELPS Word-studies)

planáō which means “go astray, get off-course; to deviate from the correct path (circuit, course), roaming into error, wandering; (passive) be misled. Planáō is the root of the English term, planet (‘wandering body’). This term nearly always conveys the sin of roaming.” (HELPS Word-studies)

In Mark 12:27 we see this word used when Jesus says, “‘He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; you are greatly mistaken.’” The word “mistaken” is planáō. Sometimes we go astray when we are misled by others. We may receive wrong teaching that confuses the truth. I know those teachers will receive a greater judgment.

However, often our straying is of our own doing. In James 1:14-16 we see this clearly. “14 But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. 15 Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it has run its course, brings forth death. 16 Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers and sisters.” The word “deceived” is planáō. Our own sins will cause us to stray.

So, how do we combat that? Stay in the Word. Stay in prayer. Live holy lives. Confess quickly and often. Do not give the devil an inch. You know he will take a mile. Stay on the path you know – the path of righteousness.

Father God, lead me on Your path of righteousness and keep me from going astray.

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Moses leads a large crowd through parted sea waters
Bible, Hebrews, Miracles, Rebellion, Rescue, Scripture, Testing

MIRACLES IN THE WILDERNESS

HEBREWS 3:9

“WHERE YOUR FATHERS PUT ME TO THE TEST, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS.”

You may have heard it said or said it yourself, “If I had seen the miracles God did in the wilderness, I would have never doubted.” Don’t come to that conclusion too quickly. How many miracles has He done in your life that you never even recognized? How many times has God come to your rescue for you only to go your own way right afterwards? Don’t judge the Hebrew children too harshly.

Depending on how you count the miracles or signs which God did during those 40 years, there are anywhere from 5 to 19 distinct events. Let’s look at the first one – parting of the Red Sea. They were even grumbling before God did this. I wonder how many of them bit their tongue as they walked through on dry ground only to see Pharoah’s army swept away by the returning water. Then there’s the manna and the quail and the pillar of fire by night and the cloud by day. Time and time again He showed up and showed out on their behalf only to see them test Him once again.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

We have an Application to make in this verse today. We need to look around us and give praise for all He has done for us. God has sustained me through a few harrowing health experiences, one very recently. I have learned to thank Him for His interventions. I do not take them for granted. I never want to be accused of putting God “to the test.”

The Greek words used here for “put to the test” are interesting. The literal Greek reads, “where the Fathers of you tried (Me) by testing. The writer uses both dokimḗ, “a brand of what is ‘tested and true’” (HELPS Word-studies) and peirázō which can be either a positive or negative trial or test. In other words, their fathers really tested God. God even told Moses to back up because He was going to wipe them out after they refused to hear Joshua and Caleb’s report about the Promised Land. Instead, He led them into the wilderness where they wandered for 40 years.

I do believe we can ask God difficult questions. I know I have. God isn’t offended by our questions or even our lack of faith at times. However, He does expect us to obey. Have you ever done anything you didn’t want to do because you knew God said do it? Boy, I sure have. In the end I was grateful I obeyed. Don’t allow your lack of faith push you towards rebellion. Allow the difficult things to grow your faith. God may test and try you but let that be because He wants to make you more like Him. Don’t blame God for the consequences of your rebellion. That is totally on you, not Him. Amen?

Father, don’t let become a grumbler and complainer about the things You allow into my life. I trust Your Master plan even though I do not know how it will turn out.

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Moses striking rock as water flows
Bible, Hard, Heart, Hebrews, Psalms, Scripture

HARD HEARTED

HEBREWS 3:8

“DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS ON THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS,”

Hard hearted people are just mean and nasty. Don’t you agree? They don’t care what other people feel, and they sure don’t care how they treat them. The most famous biblical character to portray this trait had to be Pharoah. The Scripture says that God hardened his heart. In reality, God allowed his hard heartedness to be revealed. And it cost him his kingdom and his firstborn son.

We continue with the quotation from Psalm 95. Let me quote this from the Old Testament. Verse 8 says, “Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah, as on the day of Massah in the wilderness,..” Do you remember Meribah and Massah? They are the same place. This is the place where the Hebrew people complained about no water, and Moses was told to strike the rock to give them water. Moses named that spot Meribah which means “test” and Massah which means “quarrel.” That’s the definition of hard hearts.

ASK QUESTIONS (Command to Obey, Promise to claim, Sin to avoid, Application to make, Something new about God)

The Command to Obey is clear here. Don’t do that! Pretty simple, right? Maybe not! In Acts 19:9 we see where Paul was teaching in Ephesus and this happened. “But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people,” Some people cannot stand for others to hear the truth and will do everything they can to block access. We see that in much of the Middle East where the Gospel is banned.

In Romans 9:18 we read of God’s supreme justice which is determined by man’s response to His mercy. “So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Hard hearts and mercy are in direct contrast. You cannot show mercy to others and remain hard hearted. Let God’s mercy flow through you and soften your heart.

This Greek word for “hardened” is found three other times in the New Testament, all in Hebrews. We will see those later. My challenge for you today is to go to the Lord and confess any callousness that has developed in your life. Callouses deaden pain but also restrict feeling. Don’t be callous. Don’t be hard hearted. Look at all the Lord has done in your life and give Him praise. Then share that with someone else.

I praise You, Father, for taking my heart of stone and giving me a heart of flesh which You can mold into Your image.

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