A Melting Heart

I'm so blessed by what I am learning through God's word in 1 Thess. One of the truths that continues to press in my mind is found in this verse:
1 Thessalonians 4:8 "So, he who rejects this is not rejecting man but the God who gives His Holy Spirit to you."

The "this" Paul is referring to in the context of the passage are the teachings and instructions he has given and is now repeating to the believers in the church. He is listing for them the characteristics of their sanctification, the very things that God desires to complete in their lives to identify them as His followers. It strikes me that as I focus on this same list to use as I disciple my own "believers" (my children) that any rejection they give is an important sign of my need to prayerfully consider their hearts and my own.

I know that in my imperfections, my training is often faulty in it's methods.  There are times that my desire and efforts to teach God's truths are defeated by my selfish motivations or impatient actions. In short, I get in the way of what the Lord is working to accomplish in their lives. When I see my children reject my instruction, my first thought should be, "What have I done to impede their hearts? How am I presenting His truths? Am I communicating in the power of God's spirit or in my own desires for gain? Am I exasperating my children?"  More often than not, my sinful heart is, at least in part, the cause of their resistance.

There are times, however, where I see my children genuinely reject the work the Lord desires to accomplish. I confess that when this happens I am again tempted by my pride to take this as shame and guilt on my behalf. Yet, I understand, through this verse, that my children are also responsible for their own hearts and there will come times when their rejection of truth is a result of their rejection of the Spirit's work in their life. That pierces my heart. When I remove myself and my hurt feelings over their resistance, I see that my dear children are rejecting the work of God in their lives. Oh, how that grieves me! How I long to wrap them up and cry out, "Receive the Lord! Soften your heart to His commands. Embrace His teachings so that you can live and enjoy His blessings!"  This is a clear call from the Lord to fall upon my knees on their behalf and pray for His victory in their hearts and minds.

This past Sunday, in a time of fellowship with another family, we searched God's word and discussed the idea of hardening our hearts against the Lord. It was evident that this idea of rejecting the Lord's work is directly related to the sin of hardening our hearts. I love when the Lord continues to bring similar truth to my mind to cement His revelations. I could see that as I work with my children, I need to pray for their hearts. That they would not harden their hearts against the Lord.

In Matthew Henry's commentary regarding this hardening of hearts, he identifies this sin:

The causes of their sin. See what God imputed it to: It is a people that do err in their hearts, and they have not known my ways. Men’s unbelief and distrust of God, their murmurings and quarrels with him, are the effect of their ignorance and mistake.

First, Of their ignorance: They have not known my ways. They saw his work (v. 9) and he made known his acts to them (Ps. 103:7); and yet they did not know his ways, the ways of his providence, in which he walked towards them, or the ways of his commandments, in which he would have them to walk towards him: they did not know, they did not rightly understand and therefore did not approve of these. Note, The reason why people slight and forsake the ways of God is because they do not know them.

Secondly, Of their mistake: They do err in their heart; they wander out of the way; in heart they turn back. Note, Sins are errors, practical errors, errors in heart; such there are, and as fatal as errors in the head. When the corrupt affections pervert the judgment, and so lead the soul out of the ways of duty and obedience, there is an error of the heart.

I see now, that along with prayer, there is something else that I can do when I find my children rejecting the Lord's instructions. First, it is a result of their ignorance. I can come alongside of them and open the scriptures to them so that they will have the knowledge that can lead to repentance. Secondly, it is a result of their "corrupt affections", those sinful desires that plague us all. Through God's word, I can help them see how their sinful passions are perverting their judgement and setting up prominence in their hearts against the Lord. I cannot change their hearts, but I can hold of the mirror of God's truth so they can see what is causing their discontent and the reality of their sin.

Now comes the completion of how the Lord works in my life. As I reflect on how to better reach my children's hearts and grow excited at finding yet another practical application of His word, His spirit churns within me asking, "How is it with you?" Forever I will praise the Lord for His gift of motherhood. I cannot imagine a more effective way for Him to twist, chisel and prod at my own hardened heart than through the lives of the precious children he has given. As I read further through Mr. Henry's commentary, the Lord's spirit worked to caution and direct my own heart where it needs to be softened:

Psalm 95:8 "Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, As in the day of Massah in the wilderness,"
Thus here, Harden not your heart as you did (that is, your ancestors) in the provocation, or in Meribah, the place where they quarrelled with God and Moses (Ex. 17:2-7), and in the day of temptation in the wilderness, v. 8. So often did they provoke God by their distrusts and murmurings that the whole time of their continuance in the wilderness might be called a day of temptation, or Massah, the other name given to that place (Ex. 17:7), because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or is he not? This was in the wilderness, where they could not help themselves, but lay at God’s mercy, and where God wonderfully helped them and gave them such sensible proofs of his power and tokens of his favour as never any people had before or since.

Note, (1.) Days of temptation are days of provocation. Nothing is more offensive to God than disbelief of his promise and despair of the performance of it because of some difficulties that seem to lie in the way.

(2.) The more experience we have had of the power and goodness of God the greater is our sin if we distrust him. What, to tempt him in the wilderness, where we live upon him! This is as ungrateful as it is absurd and unreasonable.

(3.) Hardness of heart is at the bottom of all our distrusts of God and quarrels with him. That is a hard heart which receives not the impressions of divine discoveries and conforms not to the intentions of the divine will, which will not melt, which will not bend.

(4.) The sins of others ought to be warnings to us not to tread in their steps. The murmurings of Israel were written for our admonition, 1 Co. 10:11.2.

I am amazed at the peace the Lord has given us in these last couple of months. The idea that we are in the midst of "Days of Temptation" is powerful. When I consider the time that has gone by with David not working and the changes our family has gone through resulting from that, it delights my heart that I find myself rejoicing. It can only be the work of the Lord that He has caused me to be thankful for this time of trust, of seeking His face, of receiving His provision, seeing that He brings "something out of nothing". As we move forward each day, clinging to His promises, I am reminded that I need to reflect back on the powerful ways the Lord has already worked on my behalf and in the lives of others. We may very well face even more temptation and struggles in the coming weeks, yet I will not harden my heart to the Lord's ability to provide what He knows is necessary for our growth and livelihood because I have seen His faithfulness proved mighty time and again. I will embrace His instructions to trust and look for His purposes beyond my needs and desires. I will ask Him to remove my ignorance, my corrupt desires, my doubts and distrust, the very things that work to harden my heart against Him.

Lord, as I allow your Spirit to keep my heart soft to your work in my own life, may I be an example to my children of the joy that comes from being willing to bend and melt into Your image.