Hearts of Clay
November 11, 2002 • By Clark Wrather
Today’s devotional was written by my son, Clark Wrather, who is the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma.
11.11.02
Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and said, ‘They always go astray in their heart, and they have not known My ways.’ So I swore in My wrath, ‘They shall not enter My rest.’ - Hebrews 3:7-11.
Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. - Hebrews 3:12-13.
No one had ever told me about the red clay around here! Last week, we had to dig a 3 ft. deep pit fit for cooking a pig (For a youth event.). The first 8 or 9 inches went by quickly, then we hit this awful red clay.
The clay would stick to your shovel. It was hard to remove. Eventually, we had to get a pickaxe and pummel the clay over and over and over again. You can probably imagine how much fun this was….
Finally, the pit was the right depth, because enough red clay had been chipped away. The hole was now ready for a big fire and a fine swine.
I know several people who have hearts that seem to be molded out of the same red clay. God has to hammer away at them. Sometimes it seems like He uses the spiritual equivalent of a pickaxe. Unlike me, God’s not wanting to roast a pig in there. He does chip away at your heart for a purpose.
You see, God wants to enlarge His home in your heart. He wants to fill you completely with His Holy Spirit. Sometimes, we are so stubborn that God has to get out his pickaxe or dynamite to knock out that "red clay" in our hearts.
It is so much easier when we ask God to fill us up and actually let Him do it. Our hearts become like sand and His Spirit flows into every aspect of our lives.
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