Define Your Reality - Day 20
***This post was part of a Define Your Reality Devotional Series during the 30 Days of Prayer for Family Life Church in March of 2020. It was written by Jonathan Travis.***
“Do not harden your hearts…” Psalm 95:8
Oftentimes I need to be reminded to not let my heart be hardened. It’s easy for that to happen. Life takes its toll on us, and if we are not careful, our focus shifts from being on Christ to looking at the obstacles we are facing. It reminds me of Peter climbing out of the boat to walk to Christ on the Sea of Galilee. He walked securely, as long as he kept his eyes on Christ. But as soon as he shifted his focus to the waves and what surrounded him, he began to sink. It’s like that in our lives. We have the deepest desire to seek Christ above all else, but it’s like everything else tries to distract us. Work, bills, all the kids running around constantly! And if you have a plethora of kids like we do, it never stops!
When I was reading this verse in Psalms, I remembered a song from my childhood, because everything reminds me of a song. The Christian band Petra released a song in the mid-80’s called, Don’t Let Your Heart be Hardened. After some research, I learned it was partially based on this verse as well as a couple of others. In the song, it simply states “don’t let your heart be hardened, don’t let your love grow cold.” Jesus told us in Matthew 24:12 that, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” Isn’t that where hardened hearts start? We let our love grow cold. Now this isn’t referring to love of sports, romantic love, or even our love for our kids. It’s about our love for God. When we place something before God, whether it’s our career’s, our spouses, our children, or recreational activities, our love for God decreases because we set something up as an idol in His place! Like Peter, we take our eyes off of Christ, whether it’s due to busyness, family obligations, or upheaval in the world around us.
I know is not our intentions, but we are all guilty. But I don’t want you to feel beat up about this. Instead I want to remind you of these truths. Like Peter, it is easy to lose focus on Christ. We’re human. We have busy lives, and honestly, a sin nature to contend with. But let us take a moment each day, and remember how much He loves us, so much that He was willing to take our place on the cross. Keep your eyes on him today. Don’t let your heart be hardened. Nor your love grow cold. Fall in love with our Savior more and more each day.
“Do not harden your hearts…” Psalm 95:8
Oftentimes I need to be reminded to not let my heart be hardened. It’s easy for that to happen. Life takes its toll on us, and if we are not careful, our focus shifts from being on Christ to looking at the obstacles we are facing. It reminds me of Peter climbing out of the boat to walk to Christ on the Sea of Galilee. He walked securely, as long as he kept his eyes on Christ. But as soon as he shifted his focus to the waves and what surrounded him, he began to sink. It’s like that in our lives. We have the deepest desire to seek Christ above all else, but it’s like everything else tries to distract us. Work, bills, all the kids running around constantly! And if you have a plethora of kids like we do, it never stops!
When I was reading this verse in Psalms, I remembered a song from my childhood, because everything reminds me of a song. The Christian band Petra released a song in the mid-80’s called, Don’t Let Your Heart be Hardened. After some research, I learned it was partially based on this verse as well as a couple of others. In the song, it simply states “don’t let your heart be hardened, don’t let your love grow cold.” Jesus told us in Matthew 24:12 that, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” Isn’t that where hardened hearts start? We let our love grow cold. Now this isn’t referring to love of sports, romantic love, or even our love for our kids. It’s about our love for God. When we place something before God, whether it’s our career’s, our spouses, our children, or recreational activities, our love for God decreases because we set something up as an idol in His place! Like Peter, we take our eyes off of Christ, whether it’s due to busyness, family obligations, or upheaval in the world around us.
I know is not our intentions, but we are all guilty. But I don’t want you to feel beat up about this. Instead I want to remind you of these truths. Like Peter, it is easy to lose focus on Christ. We’re human. We have busy lives, and honestly, a sin nature to contend with. But let us take a moment each day, and remember how much He loves us, so much that He was willing to take our place on the cross. Keep your eyes on him today. Don’t let your heart be hardened. Nor your love grow cold. Fall in love with our Savior more and more each day.
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