February 26, 2019

Good Morning Fellow Travelers,

Read: Exodus 5:1-9 and 12:30-33

“He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.”  Proverbs 29:1

The hardened neck mentioned in today’s key verse is the result of a hardened heart. The remedy for this condition is the stone that Christ likened Himself to—that rejected Stone, that Cornerstone.  Upon that Stone we all must fall and have our hardened heart and neck broken (Luke 20:17-18).

Young people, have you hardened your neck against reproof from your parents?  Do they ask things of you that you do not want to do?  Do they grow weary of how often they must repeat things before they see change for the better?  It would surely be a blessing for you to give up now.

Sinner friend, is your heart hardened against the truth of the Gospel?  You know what you need to do, but you also know that it would mean walking away from carnal pleasures and sinful relationships.  It would be best for you to give all that up now.

Young parents, have you hardened your necks against a loving church family that seeks the best for you and your children?  They really want only your spiritual welfare.  It would be best to give up now.

I remember a teenage boy who hardened his heart and his neck against God, his parents, and his church.  He drifted toward the world until he was deeply involved in sin.  A brother saw his vehicle one evening and stopped to visit him.  To his loving entreaty the young man responded, “I want one more year to live like this.”

A year later, almost to the very day, this young man was operating a large machine on a mountain when it rolled over and crushed his body.  Do not try to bargain with God. Give up now, before the Stone grinds you to powder.

– James Baer