Intentionality
There’s this story in the Old Testament about how Moses was called by God through the means of a burning bush to go to Egypt, confront the king of Egypt about the plight of the children of Israel and demand that they be “let go.” Of course, the story goes that Pharaoh wouldn’t let them go and through a series of miracles, God took on each of the Egyptian deities and beat them.
In the midst of the story, we read the words, “Pharaoh hardened his heart.” Eventually, God was the one who was hardening Pharaoh’s heart, but that’s not for us to focus on. I’ve thought for a long time now that if Pharaoh could intentionally “harden” his heart, could the opposite also be true? I think it can be. I think that we can intentionally “soften” our hearts toward God. Part of what that may look like is in scriptures like Colossians 3:12.
There’s intention in the commandment “clothe yourself.” This isn’t something that we ask God to do, but we intentionally decide to do it because it’s our desire to please the God who’s saved us through the death of Jesus. While gratitude doesn’t “save” us, it’s a great motivation to submit ourselves to the transforming work of Holy Spirit in our lives.
So just as we wake up each morning and decide which clothes we’ll go out in the world in each day, so we intentionally decide to clothe ourselves “with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” A work of Holy Spirit as we intentionally submit ourselves to God. Decide to soften your heart today and see what you’ll become.
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