A Time for Immediacy



Several months ago I blogged about why we need to take reconciliation so seriously. I talked about Cain and Abel and how in the course of time something occurred in Cain's heart that turned him into an embittered, angry, hard hearted, and ultimately, murderous man.


This post will continue on with those thoughts.


So, here's a question. Is anything too hard for the Lord? How about a hardened heart.


All through scripture we hear God warning against the deception and destruction that a hard heart creates. And always, a hard heart develops over time. A hard heart does not just show up one day; it occurs slowly and surely when we do not remember God and the grace He has already shown us, the good work He has already done in us, as well as His future grace, being the good work He promises to complete in us. God made each one of a promise and when we forget that promise, we risk hardening our hearts.


"Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live (Deut 4: 9)


When we forget the things that the Lord has done, and the things He promised He will do, these things fade from our heart - something that occurs over time. And when these things fade from our heart, there is nothing left to protect our heart from becoming hard.


A hard heart also occurs as we get caught up in our demandedness or love other things more then we love God.


"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts" (Deut 6:5-6)


So long as we are loving the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul and strength today our hearts will remain soft and compliant to His sanctifying and transforming work towards Christlikeness.


A hard heart occurs when we do not allow our hearts to be circumcized.


"Circumcize your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff - necked any longer" (Deut 10:16)


We are to allow God His way in our heart so that we do not become "stiff necked", another way of saying hard hearted, immovable, entrenched, stubborn to the point that we just become more and more set in our sin. Ultimately, it is God and His word that accomplishs the work of circumcizing our hearts, "For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Heb 4:12)


The thoughts and attitudes of my heart will compel me to loving things that bring glory to God and peaceable living with others, or they will compel me to hateful things that bring only selfishness and division, where I see and treat others as mere objects and I forget God altogether. God's Word helps me to see my blindspots and discern the attitudes of my heart so that I can guard against the latter.


It is said that if you never want to change, in other words, remain stuck exactly where you are for the rest of your time on Earth, never accomplishing anything redemptive, then complain. Organize your life around the one singular event that has you so angry (be it abuse, divorce, that falling out with your mother or sister or what have you), remain bitter and resentful, blaming everyone and everything. Do not take responsibility for your own role, but rather, be a victim. That is how you remain stuck and ungrowing and that is how your heart will eventually harden to the point of concrete, being that thing that just might end up being "too hard for the Lord".


Or, confess, repent, forgive and move on. Do this, and your heart will move on with you, towards the wondrous grace of God's redemption and change.


And, do it today. Because over the course of time your heart only gets harder, like concrete that sets. As time passes, words spoken take root, wounds caused become infected, relationships decay and drift and hearts grow ever harder. Time does not heal all things - but it definitely can set all things

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