September 9 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The Word of God can be disobeyed—but only by human beings. The sun, the moon, the sea, and the animals obey God's will at all times. When God says, "Rise and wane and build nests and be still," the sun, the moon, the birds, and the sea obey. But people can say no to God.

It's a frightening thing to say no to God. And foolish too. We are bound to suffer for it when we dare to disobey the will of the Creator of the universe.

The most frightening aspect of disobedience is that God punishes it by a process the Bible calls "hardening."

God demonstrated this process in the Pharaoh of Egypt. But you may observe this punishment of God all around you, maybe in your relatives.

This process is similar to what happens in the lives of children who are neglected by their parents. They never learn the meaning of yes and no. They don't know what is allowed and what is forbidden. They've never experienced a firm and loving voice that taught them that a command is a command. So they don't take authority seriously until the police insist that no means no. By then it is almost impossible to reeducate them. They are hardened.

People who refuse to obey God finally cannot obey anymore, even if they want to. In the beginning they will not believe; in the end they cannot believe. If we do not seek the Lord "while he may be found," there will come a time when we cannot find him anymore.

It is not up to us to say of any particular person that he or she has been hardened beyond repentance and redemption—only God knows that. But the Bible tells us that there is a connection between disobedience and the punishment of a hardened heart. That should make us obey the Lord with fear and trembling, promptly and immediately.

REFLECTIONS

Are there any parts of your life where Satan is trying to "harden" you against doing what you know God wants you to do?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.