BIBLE READING: NUMBERS 1, 2; MARK 3:1-18
“And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man, stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other”. Mark 3:5 (KJV).
God is often grieved by people’s hardness of heart. He has several reasons to harden his heart towards us but he chose to soften his heart and respond to us in love even when we do not deserve his love and mercy. Man continues to harden his heart towards God, towards the gospel and towards others. It takes hardness of heart to kill, to steal or to do evil against another person. It is hardness of heart to bow down to worship idol or any other god apart from God. It is hardness of heart to reject the gospel after all the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. It is hardness of heart to reject God and continue to chart our course outside him.
All that should be known about God have been revealed at creation through the creations of God, it will take a hardened heart to reject God. All the love, forgiveness, mercy, grace and kindness we have received from God simply show the liberality of God. It will require a very hardened heart to push all that aside for selfish pleasure.
God’s commands are very clear; love one another as I have loved you, it will take a hardened heart to hate and keep malice.
Unfortunately, the sinner continues to trample upon God’s love and grace. This is how hardened the human heart could be. No wonder, at new birth, God circumcised our heart replacing the stony heart with the heart of flesh.
Prayer: Oh Lord, thank you for breaking my hardened heart and giving me a heart of flesh.
Rev. Vincent Diolu