“..he, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…” (Mark 3:5)
The American College of Cardiology reports that Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for approximately 800,000 deaths in the United States, or one out of every three deaths. You cannot continually have heart problems without it eventually taking your life. The Bible says there are “spiritual” heart problems that can also affect a person’s life.
FIRST—A HARD Heart.
There was a man whose hand was withered. The religious Pharisees watched whether Jesus would heal this man on the Sabbath just so they could accuse Him. It didn’t matter that this man needed help, the heart of these Pharisees was so hardened that they didn’t care about this man. They only cared about themselves. Their heart had become hardened because of their stubbornness.
How many times have we, as Christians, hindered God from working a miracle in our lives because we had allowed our heart to become hard and stubborn; we wanted OUR way instead of letting God have HIS way in our life and, as a result, we missed what God wanted to do for us.
SECOND—A BLIND Heart.
Ephesians 4:18 speaks of unbelievers who have their “understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:” Because their heart was blind, they were ignorant and alienated from “the life of God.”
The unbeliever is still living in darkness and, as a result, are blinded to the truth of God and His Word. We must remember that the reason unbelievers act like they do is because their heart is still blinded. While this may not excuse their ungodliness, it does help explain it.
Maybe you have never trusted in Jesus as your personal Saviour. You are blinded to the love, joy, and peace that God can bring to your heart. Call on Him in faith and repentance, and receive His forgiveness, today. Maybe you are a believer whose heart has become hard and stubborn because of sin. Confess it, today, before your heart problem kills you, spiritually!