“From morning till evening he expounded to them… trying to convince them about Jesus both from the Law and the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved… Paul [stated]: ‘The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:
“‘Go to this people, and say,
‘You will indeed hear but never understand,
and you will indeed see but never perceive.’
For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and with their ears they can barely hear,
and their eyes they have closed;
lest they should see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their heart
and turn, and I would heal them.’” Acts 28:23b-27
“The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. His invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in what has been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools,..
“For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions… And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done… Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” Romans 1:18-22,26a,28,32
The steamroll of a hard heart is furious and unrelenting. The pride of flesh callouses all too quickly when man is bent on self and refuses the grace of God. All beauty of eternal power and divine nature gets mired in the ugliness of dull and stubborn. Tainted eyes and stopped ears refuse the truth and therefore Christ, to great and sometimes eternal detriment.
We might castigate those who stubbornly refuse Christ, yet fail to understand the insidiousness of spiritual blindness. Have we forgotten or belittled God’s grace to us when we were enemies? Do we earnestly pray that God would remove blinders and soften hearts? We may criticize their failure to believe, but neglect searching ourselves for hard places growing in our own attitudes, will, and obedience. (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Matthew 7:3-5; Romans 5:8-10; 1 Corinthians 2:14)
Do we pridefully assume a poor choice here or slip-up there can just be brushed away with no consequence? Small refusals plus small dismissals can become large resistance. Even if we know Christ, we are prone to wander. Where has our love, passion, or obedience grown hard? (Revelation 3:15-16)
How will we prevent our high view of God from diminishing, our minds from stoking a stubborn spirit, and our hearts from growing cold? Stoking flames of righteous priorities with regular spiritual disciplines and consistent fellowship that kneads the soul with compassion and shared wisdom are effective safeguards of the heart.
Lord, dissolve any stubbornness and keep my heart soft toward You, that I would grow more and more like You in thought, word, and deed.
As the rain and snow 