Hard as Cement

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Luke 8:12: [Jesus is saying,] "Those along the path are the ones who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved."

We all know how hard cement is. Water runs off it. We can't break it without a lot of force. It can be stained only on the surface. Cement describes how hard some people's minds and hearts can be. They are the ones who will not change their minds, no matter how persuasive you may be. They won't budge from their opinions, no matter that it doesn't make sense. They are always going to be, "stiff necked and rebellious." And no matter what God's Word says, they won't believe it. So when the Word of God is shared with them, it bounces off of them like seed on a cement sidewalk.

Then the devil, taking every opportunity to keep the Word of God from being effective, sweeps the Word away from them, trying to keep them from hearing the Word and even believing the Word of God. Is there any hope for these people to believe?

There is always hope. There is always the Word of God. Even though the devil tries to sweep the Word away from people, the one who sows the seed keeps throwing it. So we keep on sharing with people the Word of God. And God the Holy Spirit is that powerful force that can, and will, break through the cement. Just like a jackhammer breaks cement into pieces, God the Holy Spirit creates cracks in the cement of people's hearts. And when it cracks, the Word can take root. And who knows? Maybe someone who was once as hard as cement, will be open to the grace and mercy of God because of Jesus. God, break the cement and open people's hearts to You with Your Word.