Stiff Necks

You stiff necked  people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are always resisting the Holy Spirit; as your ancestors did so do you. Acts 7:51

Ooh! those are fighting words! Stephen had just given a sermon to the Sanhedrin about religious history and his finishing touch was the above verse. Needless to say they became enraged and ultimately stoned him to death.

Yet, what was he saying? What do we do when we have a stiff neck, as in attitude? We have a hard heart because our pride will not allow us to yield.

Pride causes a heart that refuses to forgive or receive truth. Uncircumcised hearts and ears are those that have not yielded, are unbending to truth, will not listen.

Ultimately this is resistance of the working of the Holy Spirit. Resisting the Holy Spirit causes us to suffer needlessly. By resisting truth we are prey to all sorts of strange beliefs about ourselves and others.  

We cannot be so precious about what we hold dear so as to make all those with differing opinions pay dearly for our beliefs.

We serve a God of grace and His ways are not our ways! Amen!

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