Today!
Hebrew 3:15 “While it is said, Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the provocation.”
All our lives comes down to ‘Today’. Tomorrow is not yet. Yesterday, with its success and failures, is done.
But today we have. Today we have the opportunity to turn to God and do His Will.
We never know what a day will bring. We should, therefore, determine which direction our lives will go, while we have today.
So today, if you will hear His Voice.
We can hear God’s voice in nature; many have seen the changing seasons and heard God speak to them:
Psalms 74:17 “…Thou hast made summer and winter.”
If the seasons change, all over the world, surely that means that the sadness of today is not permanent; but will give way to rejoicing.
We can hear God through His Word. It is His revelation of Himself and His Ways to us. The Holy Spirit will help us understand it, when we ask Him.
And we can hear His Voice to us, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit within. He is Light, and will make known to us, HIs Will.
John 7:17 “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine (teaching) whither it be of God, or whither I speak of myself.”
Jesus said, If we really want to know His Will, we can know.
God considers our “heart” the throne of our mind, emotions and will.
So when we hear Him, we are to “soften” our hearts by yielding to His Will.
To “harden” our hearts is when, we will not to do it; for whatever reason.
Zechariah 7:9-11 “Thus speaketh the Lord of Hosts, saying, Execute true judgement, and show mercy and compassions every man to his brother:
And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor, and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart.
But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear.”
A hardened heart is not caused by circumstances, or birth;…….but a choice of will.
When Israel hardened their heart: they first refused to listen, for they did not want to be responsible.
They thought that if they had not heard, God could not require His Word to be obeyed.
They pulled away from the work of “shouldering” the burdens of prayer, faithfulness, and love.
Finally they stopped their ears,…..or filled their ears with other voices,…..so they would not have to know God’s Voice in the circumstances.
Again, God considers our heart, the throne of our mind, emotions, and will.
But He can give us “hearts of flesh”; or tender hearts, which will return the love He gives us,….back to Him.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stoney heart out of the flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh:
That they may walk in My statues, and keep Mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Godhead, is given to us in our hearts to make alive again, and guide. He rules, and over rules, in circumstances which affect His People.
Without Him we can do nothing.
But with His Almighty energy, the most extraordinary results can be produced.
Everything depends upon His manifesting or concealing His Power.
Are we anxious to obtain His help?
Are we watching so we will not provoke Him to be silent?
Oh how much we need Him to speak to our inner man and give us courage!
The Holy Spirit is not a temporary gift; He abides with us.
He does not weary of us (Amazing Love!).
But He waits to be gracious at times, till we really see our need, and seek Him.
It is love which makes a hard heart into a softened heart, yielding to God’s Spirit.
It is God’s love given to our hearts,……and then returned to Him, by us.
In love, He speaks of “Today”, if…..you will hear His Voice.
Turn to Christ Jesus, and yield to HIs Spirit within.
Receive His love,….and return it to Him.
He wants to bless each heart given to Him,……”Today”.
Preaching, Teaching, and Notes 