July 28, 2003 Monday
Spiritually Calloused

"they considered not the miracle of the loaves; for their heart was hardened." - Mark 6:52

How often God has blessed us beyond expression with His goodness and mercy, answered prayer, deliverance from the desperate, miracle after miracle.....and yet our hearts remain hardened. The hardened and calloused heart has turned our service for God into religious rituals, our prayers into vain repetitions, and our passion for Him into self-serving pride. We used to consider His eternal grace and stand in awe and worship, but now we have grown insensible to even the very touch of His hand on our life..."for their heart was hardened." Never discount the possibility of becoming as hardened as the disciples were at this moment as they sat at the very side of Jesus...face to face with Christ their Creator. How can we become so hardened we ask....."they considered not". To give consideration means to put together with perception, to look at something and learn from it. God tells us to, "stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God." (Job 37:14) How awful it is that we fail to stand still and look and learn about our Lord, yet how often that occurs in our daily lives. The truth is that we are facing another battle between the Spirit and the flesh. Our Spirit longs to worship, but our flesh longs for sin.....our Spirit seeks intimacy with Christ, but our flesh despises it. "Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else." (Deuteronomy 4:39) When we take consideration of our Master we must ensure that we "consider it in thine heart" and not in view of fleshly perceptions. Our flesh always has an approach to looking at things that will blind us to what God's Spirit desires to reveal. The disciples witnessed Christ miraculously feeding the great multitude, but not even a day later, "they considered not the miracle of the loaves; for their heart was hardened." Guard your heart from becoming spiritually calloused, "consider how great things he hath done for you." (1 Samuel 12:24)