Day 41 - Cut to the Heart

Today's Reading: Ex. 33-34 and Acts 2

In Acts 2 we see the Holy Spirit fall in a mighty way upon the disciples and believers. As a result, Peter gets up and begins to preach and everyone understands in their own language. Because the Holy Spirit is with Peter's preaching, those listening are "cut to the heart." In other words, they are CONVICTED!!

As I was reading this today I was thinking about what happens when we are CONVICTED by the Holy Spirit. We have two options. We can respond to that conviction, repent and confess our sins and we can begin to walk a new way. Or we can harden our heart to that conviction and wait for a more convenient time to obey and follow the call. (Which usually never comes!)

Ps. 95:8 says, "Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness." Then Hebrews 3:15 says, "While it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation." Isn't it interesting how we are reminded, "When the Spirit calls, don't harden your heart like the children of Israel did in the wilderness." (We were just reading about their harden heart's yesterday!)

Consider the following from Inspiration on what it means to have true repentance in response to the "cut-to-heart" conviction:

"How shall a person be just with God? How shall the sinner be made righteous? It is only through Christ that we can be brought into harmony with God, with holiness; but how are we to come to Christ? Many are asking the same question as did the multitude on the day of Pentecost, when, convicted of sin, they cried out, “What shall we do?” The first word of Peter’s answer was “Repent” (Acts 2:37, 38). At another time, shortly after, he said, “Repent ..., and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). 

Repentance includes sorrow for sin and a turning away from it. We shall not renounce sin unless we see its sinfulness; until we turn away from it in heart there will be no real change in the life. 

There are many who fail to understand the true nature of repentance. Multitudes sorrow that they have sinned and even make an outward reformation because they fear that their wrongdoing will bring suffering upon themselves. But this is not repentance in the Bible sense. They lament the suffering rather than the sin. Such was the grief of Esau when he saw that the birthright was lost to him forever. Balaam, terrified by the angel standing in his pathway with drawn sword, acknowledged his guilt lest he should lose his life; but there was no genuine repentance for sin, no conversion of purpose, no abhorrence of evil.  

But when the heart yields to the influence of the Spirit of God, the conscience will be quickened, and the sinner will discern something of the depth and sacredness of God’s holy law, the foundation of His government in heaven and on earth.... [The sinner] sees the love of God, the beauty of holiness, the joy of purity; [and] longs to be cleansed and to be restored to communion with Heaven." Be Like Jesus, p. 361

Let's pray that as God cuts our heart with His Word today, that we will not harden our heart, as the children of Israel did, but that we will repent and be converted like those in the book of Acts! Yes, we all need to be converted afresh daily... MYSELF first of all!

Tomorrow's Reading: Ex. 35-36 and Psalm 19