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SOUNDING OUT:
Keep Your Heart Tender and Pure
It is important that we keep our
hearts tender toward God. A tender and a pure heart is “good
soil” in which the Lord of the harvest loves to work. Freewill
obedience comes from a tender and pure heart and is always available.
We should never act grudgingly or of a necessity. If we want to
hear His voice we must keep our hearts pure and tender.
Hebrews 3:7,8,15:
Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his
voice, [The voice of the Lord is heard both through the Word
taught or read (e.g. Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 13:18; 28:1,2,15,45;
30:8,10) and through revelation (e.g. I Samuel 15:19-22; I Kings
20:36; Isaiah 6:8; Acts 7:31-34).]
8 Harden not your hearts, as in the
provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness..: [Then
this is repeated in verse 15.]
15 While it is said, To day if ye
will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
If we want to hear God’s voice
we must not harden our hearts to it. God will not violate our
free will. Willingness and obedience is very important.
Zechariah 7:11-13:
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and
stopped their ears, that they should not hear.
12 Yea, they made their hearts as
an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words
which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his spirit by the former
prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts.
13 Therefore it is come to pass, that
as he cried, and they would not hear; so they cried, and I would
not hear, saith the LORD of hosts:
It is not literally that God did
not hear their cry. It was that He had already answered their
cry, but they refused to receive it. There was no use to say it
again for they had hardened their hearts against it. Their obstinacy
and rejection of the Word of the Lord was a freewill decision,
and these were the consequences.
Leaders in the church are particularly charged to keep
their hearts pure. It is one of the themes of the Pastoral Epistles.
I Timothy 1:5:
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart,
and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
I Timothy 3:9:
Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience.
I Timothy 5:22:
Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s
sins: keep thyself pure.
II Timothy 1:3:
I thank God, whom I serve from my forefathers with pure
conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in
my prayers night and day;
II Timothy 2:22:
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity,
peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
It is important that we cultivate
our hearts and keep them tender toward God. We want to provide
the best possible “soil” for the Lord of the harvest
to do His work. Freewill obedience flows more uninhibitedly from
a tender and pure heart. Why should we ever act grudgingly or
of a necessity? If we want to hear His voice we must keep our
hearts pure and tender.
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