Verse
[After the return of the people of Judah from Babylon, this is what the LORD said about them,] "They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven's Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven's Armies was so angry with them."
— Zechariah 7:12 NLT
Thought
God had told his people, "show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other" (Zechariah 7:9-10). But they wanted a quick and easy religion that made sense to their own values, their selfishness, and their disregard for others. They ignored God. In fact, they refused to pay attention to the parts of God's will they didn't want to obey. They chose to harden their hearts to God's message, the message the Holy Spirit had inspired the prophets to speak. We must heed God's warning: The words of the prophets, the message of Scripture, are not human words. They come from God and reveal what is important to him. We ignore them at our own peril.
Prayer
O Father, LORD of Heaven's Armies, forgive me for not valuing what you value, not doing what you command, and not loving people, especially the vulnerable, as you do. Conform my heart to your will through the power of the Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
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[After the return of the people of Judah from Babylon, this is what the LORD said about them,] "They made their hearts as hard as stone, so they could not hear the instructions or the messages that the LORD of Heaven's Armies had sent them by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. That is why the LORD of Heaven's Armies was so angry with them."
— Zechariah 7:12 NLT
Thought
God had told his people, "show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other" (Zechariah 7:9-10). But they wanted a quick and easy religion that made sense to their own values, their selfishness, and their disregard for others. They ignored God. In fact, they refused to pay attention to the parts of God's will they didn't want to obey. They chose to harden their hearts to God's message, the message the Holy Spirit had inspired the prophets to speak. We must heed God's warning: The words of the prophets, the message of Scripture, are not human words. They come from God and reveal what is important to him. We ignore them at our own peril.
Prayer
O Father, LORD of Heaven's Armies, forgive me for not valuing what you value, not doing what you command, and not loving people, especially the vulnerable, as you do. Conform my heart to your will through the power of the Spirit. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2017. All rights reserved.
