The Hardened Heart

012309 The Hardened Heart

Exodus 8:32But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

Luke 23:23But they were urgent, demanding with loud cries that he should be crucified. And their voices prevailed.

In Exodus, the Pharaoh's heart was hardened even though God made Himself known through miracles and signs. Pharaoh had told Moses a few times that if Moses stopped the plagues then he would let the Hebrews go to worship their God. However, when his heart was hardened, he went back on his word. In Luke, the Jewish people suffer from Pharaoh's same ailment, a hardened heart. Jesus' whole life was dedicated to healing and redeeming them, but then, their hearts were hardened and they sentenced Him to be crucified. The very people that desired Pharaoh's heart to be softened now had hardened hearts of their own.

Is my heart hard? I really need to look at the condition of my heart and ask for God to keep guard over it. Are there people that I just can't forgive, or situations that I am cold towards? If my heart is hard, it is very dangerous. It can hurt a lot of people. Plus, I'll regret it later. Although God can use a hardened heart for His good purpose, it is better to be compassionate. God's compassion is manifested in Jesus Christ. If I want to be more like Jesus, I need an un-hardened heart.

Lord, thank You for Your compassion. Please forgive me for having a hard heart. Lord, turn my heart of stone into a heart of flesh. Help me to love others with Your compassionate love. Heavenly Father, please change me into Your image day by day. I love You, Lord. I pray all this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.