The Flitting Heart

But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen...
Exodus 8:15

O the flitting heart of Pharaoh! When the signs of God came to bear on Pharaoh and the land of Egypt, he would plead with Moses and Aaron to pray for him. For surely this time, once the plague receded, then he would certainly–"Scout's honor"–let Israel go. But, no sooner had the Lord relented, than Pharaoh reverted to his old ways. His flitting heart was trying to manage the situation. And in managing the situation, the conclusion was: "Say that you will comply to get this God off your back. Then when things smooth out, we can return to business as usual."

There is no management of sin. There is not coaxing it into submission. And there is no sense in modeling your heart after that of Pharaoh's: flitting about, trying to avoid the presence of God in order to keep your heart's desire. But it is not enough to hear "let that sin go!" For such a bold statement does not necessarily stir the affections of the heart. And if the heart is not stirred, then we are merely playing games.

So what do we do? To begin, you might stare your sin in the face and ask a question it is not prepared to answer: "do you love me?" And if your sin does not love you with a true, sacrificial, redemptive love, why stay harnessed to it, enslaved to it? Let it go, that you might be more fully embraced by the One who does love you. And how do we know that he loves us? "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."

Sin will never lay down its life for you, for it does not love. It cannot. But Jesus...well he is a different story.

Grace & Peace,

– Matthew+