From: January 29, 2026
“So the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had spoken through Moses” (Exodus 9:35 ESV).
By the time we reach this verse, Pharaoh had seen plague after plague and still refused to let God’s people go. Moses recorded that “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.” That simple, passive summary carries deep meaning. Throughout the story, Pharaoh had repeatedly hardened his own heart. He heard God’s command. He saw God’s power. Yet he kept saying no. Now we see the progression: God confirmed Pharaoh in the stubbornness he had already chosen. This was not God hardening a soft or willing heart. It was a judicial act, much like Romans 1 where God “gave them over.” Pharaoh resisted so long that God allowed his rebellion to be set like stone. At the same time, this happened “just as the LORD had spoken,” reminding Israel that God was still sovereign. Even Pharaoh’s refusal did not frustrate God’s plan. One scholar compared it this way: the same sun that melts wax hardens clay. The difference is not in the sun, but in the substance it shines upon. God’s revelation softens some hearts, but Pharaoh’s heart only grew harder.
Hebrews 3:15 warns us, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” Pharaoh’s story shows us how a heart becomes hard. It rarely happens in a single moment. It happens layer by layer, every time we say no to God’s Word or ignore the prompting of His Spirit. The more we resist, the less sensitive we become. We must respond quickly and humbly when God speaks. We must confess sin instead of excusing it, obey promptly instead of delaying, and stay tender before the Lord. Otherwise, we drift toward the very condition we fear. What leads to a hardened heart? Saying no to God again and again.
PRAYER: Dear Father, keep our hearts soft and responsive to You. Help us to recognize Your voice and obey without delay. Convict us quickly when we resist You, and give us humble, willing spirits. Do not let us grow calloused through repeated disobedience. Make us tender to Your Word and sensitive to Your Spirit. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 29, 2025
“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1 ESV).
This psalm of David begins with an announcement of God’s ownership of everything and everyone. David declared that since God had created all things, He therefore owned all things. This meant that David saw himself not as an owner, but as a steward, a manager of whatever God had blessed him to possess.
Believing that God is owner and that we are stewards, servants of God caring for His creation, is a life-changing principle. Many Christians claim to believe this, yet they behave as if their stuff is really “their” stuff. One of the great sins of Christians in America is the idolatry of materialism. Our happiness is attached to our possessions. This is the sin of greed. Always wanting more and never being content with what we have.
What is the antidote for greed? Generosity. Giving. Live a life of the open hand, one hand open to God to receive and one hand open to others to give. Tithe from your first fruits and give sacrificially to any need that the Spirit shows you. In this way, you acknowledge God’s ownership and your stewardship. And you break the grip of greed.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we acknowledge You as Creator and Owner of all things. We are Yours. And through faith in Jesus, You are ours. Empower us to live as faithful stewards with that you have entrusted to us until Your Son’s return. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 29, 2024
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God” (Matthew 19:24 ESV).
After a rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what good thing he must do to have eternal life, the Lord told him to sell his possessions, give them to the poor and come follow Him. But the young man went away sorrowful, for he was very wealthy. As the rich young ruler walked away, Jesus told His disciples that it was hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom.
Jesus used a greater to lesser hyperbole to illustrate the problem. The camel represents the rich man and his possessions, oversized and burdened with a load, while the eye of a needle represents the narrow gate that leads to the kingdom of God. Some have suggested that the “eye of the needle” referred to a small, narrow door within a city gate used for foot passengers, which even a man would need to bow low to enter. However, the metaphor still holds true. A large camel would not be able to enter through either a small door nor a needle’s eye.
Riches have a way of owning us, rather than us owning them. To rely on worldly wealth, rather than God’s provision is idolatry. The rich young ruler who claimed to be a keeper of the commandments had actually failed to keep the first, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are so easily distracted and enamored with the things of this world. Forgive us. Help us to take our eyes off of worldly wealth and to fix our eyes on things above. For You have made us coheirs with Christ and all things are ours through Him. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 29, 2023
“But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then” (Matthew 19:30 NLT).
After a rich young ruler came to Jesus asking what good thing he must do to have eternal life, the Lord told him to sell his possessions, give them to the poor and come follow Him. But the young man went away sorrowful, for he was very wealthy. As the rich young ruler walked away, Jesus told His disciples that it was hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom.
Jesus went on to explain that a day was coming when those who we esteem as the greatest and most important in this world now, will be the least. And those who seem the least will be seen as the greatest. The economy and values of this world will one day be turned upside down, so that the love of God is valued most.
As the apostle Paul wrote, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God” (Rom. 14:17-18).
However, we must be aware that those of this world will not understand us. They will respond as the people of Thessalonica did when Paul and Silas came preaching about the kingdom of God, saying, “These who have turned the world upside down have come here too” (Acts 17:6).
PRAYER: Dear Father, we willingly put You above all things, loving You with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We pull our affections off the things of this world and worship Your Son, Jesus, above all. Strengthen us to live for You as we await the Day of Christ’s return. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 29, 2016
This Davidic psalm begins with an announcement of God’s ownership of everything and everyone. Believing that God is owner and that we are stewards, servants of God caring for His creation, is a life-changing principle. Many Christians claim to believe this, yet they behave as if their stuff is really “their” stuff. One of the great sins of American Christianity is the idolatry of materialism. Our happiness is attached to our possessions. This is the sin of greed. What is the antidote? Giving. Live a life of the open hand, tithing from your first fruits and giving sacrificially to any need that the Spirit shows you. In this way, you acknowledge God’s ownership and your stewardship.