Scripture to Read: Psalm 95:10–11
There is no doubt that God is patient, kind, gracious, forbearing, forgiving, and the list goes on toward us as His creation. But there comes a point, and God alone knows, when someone hits this wall that someone’s heart has been so hardened toward Him that they are beyond repentance. It’s hard for us to even think about someone getting to the point of no return, but that is exactly what God had David share about the Israelites who had been in the wilderness for 40 years after being delivered out of Egypt. God’s Word says in Psalm 95:10–11, “For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. 11 “Therefore I swore in My anger, truly they shall not enter into My rest.” God expresses His brokenness over the Israelite's unwillingness to follow and obey Him. God said that those Israelites grieved Him because they were a people whose hearts were far from Him and they would not regard His ways. God also never allowed them to enter into the promised land because of the hardness of their hearts. God desires all people to come to the saving knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:3–4, John 3:17, Titus 2:11, 2 Peter 3:9) and to be set free from their bondage to sin and death. But the sad truth is that some will choose to deny Him, live rebellious lives against Him and never enter His rest. Let us all be found faithful to our Lord.
Challenge & Application
· What must we do, as believers, to help those who still do not know Christ as their Lord?
· How can we prove ourselves faithful to our Lord each day so we do not grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30)?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!