“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you.” – Acts 7:51
While Stephen is addressing the religious leadership of his day in Jerusalem, we must be careful that he isn’t also speaking to us!
An uncircumcised heart isn’t completely yielded to, and reshaped by, God’s grace, mercy, and love in Jesus Christ. An uncircumcised heart is hard, proud, and unyielding. It may like God and Jesus, it may go to church regularly, but it doesn’t look like God’s. An uncircumcised heart likes its own way more than God’s way. An uncircumcised heart places greater priority on personal opinion, preference, comfort, self-identity, and politics than on the things of God. Often an uncircumcised heart is completely unaware of that fact that it’s uncircumcised.
Uncircumcised ears hear only what they want to hear – they do not listen with the ears of Christ nor listen for Christ. Uncircumcised ears are not quick to listen, are not sensitive to the cries and concerns of the most vulnerable among us, and are not seeking to hear Christ’s voice among the cacophony of voices that surround us.
Far too many Christians today are walking around with uncircumcised hearts of harshness, defensiveness, and anger. Far too many Christians today have uncircumcised ears that are deaf to anything that doesn’t fit their narrative of the world. Take time to examine your own actions, attitudes, thoughts, and words. Are they those of Christ Himself or are they those of a cultural caricature of Him? Don’t resist the Holy Spirit: yield to Him, listen for and to Him, let Him reshape your heart, mind, and ears to be like those of Jesus Himself!
#FOLLOWJESUS
NOTE: While Pastor Brian is on sabbatical, we offer this devotional which was originally published on June 11, 2020.