"But when some were hardened and did not believe, but spoke evil of The Way before the multitude, he departed from them and withdrew with the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus."
Acts 19:9
It remains a mystery to me why some people receive the Gospel while others are hardened. Jesus spoke of the stony places and the good soil (Matthew 13:18-23), but He did not explain why. Jesus did refer to those who hearts had grown "dull" (Matthew 13:15). So this is what I think. As a people grow older, they have experiences, or teachings, or unfulfilled expectations. Sometimes they hear the Gospel again and again and continually reject it because they want to do their own thing. Gradually, layer upon layer of insulation is built around the heart until it becomes dull and hardened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Children have soft hearts to the Gospel because they have not had time for these layers to form. For older people who have many layers, it often takes a tragedy or catastrophe – sickness, loss of a loved one, bankruptcy or jail – to break through the shell so the light can shine in. Even then, some people become even more hardened. We need to guard against allowing negative experiences to build layers around our hearts lest we become hard to spiritual things.
Today's Thought: A dull and hard heart blocks out the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Have a "soft" day. Love you.
Acts 19:9
It remains a mystery to me why some people receive the Gospel while others are hardened. Jesus spoke of the stony places and the good soil (Matthew 13:18-23), but He did not explain why. Jesus did refer to those who hearts had grown "dull" (Matthew 13:15). So this is what I think. As a people grow older, they have experiences, or teachings, or unfulfilled expectations. Sometimes they hear the Gospel again and again and continually reject it because they want to do their own thing. Gradually, layer upon layer of insulation is built around the heart until it becomes dull and hardened to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Children have soft hearts to the Gospel because they have not had time for these layers to form. For older people who have many layers, it often takes a tragedy or catastrophe – sickness, loss of a loved one, bankruptcy or jail – to break through the shell so the light can shine in. Even then, some people become even more hardened. We need to guard against allowing negative experiences to build layers around our hearts lest we become hard to spiritual things.
Today's Thought: A dull and hard heart blocks out the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Have a "soft" day. Love you.
No comments:
Post a Comment