Soft Heart, Strong Faith
ICS Daily Devotions
Mark 16:14-15, 17 (NKJV) Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature….And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
Jesus rebuked His disciples for their unbelief and hardness of heart. Why? God is pleased when we have faith in Him and obey His Word. We need strong faith and a soft heart. We need firm conviction in our belief in God, especially in Jesus’ resurrection. Without strong faith, we won’t act on His prompting. Meanwhile, we need a soft heart, or else we won’t act on what He asks of us.
Even Jesus’ enemies remembered that He had said He would rise again on the third day. The angels reminded the disciples of His resurrection (Luke 24:6-7), yet they did not believe. The most important message Jesus gave after His resurrection was to Mary Magdalene. She was instructed to inform the disciples, who were nowhere to be seen!
Jesus expected the disciples to have faith in His Word that He would be resurrected after three days. However, the disciples chose to believe what their eyes had seen: Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross, His giving up His Spirit, and His burial—the factual events, but not His resurrection, even though eyewitnesses had come to inform them! They had hardened their hearts! Likewise, we can struggle to believe in the supernatural or in what the Word of God teaches. If we must see before we believe, then faith is not required once we have seen it. The Bible says that blessed is the man who has not seen but believes (John 20:29).
Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV) Now without faith it is impossible to please God for whoever come to Him must believe that He is and is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Faith pleases God. It means taking God at His Word, especially His promises, and trusting that we can do what He said we can through His help. We must also have faith that He has resurrected, so signs and wonders will accompany our obedience to His Word!
Three lessons we can learn from the disciples’ experience:
• Don’t harden our hearts in unbelief in the supernatural! Tear down the strongholds of the mind of unbelief and bring them to the subjection of Christ.
• Work on believing and building our faith in God. Jesus is alive today, and He will work with us through signs, accompanying what He has promised in His Word.
• Be faithful in doing what He has asked us to do, act on His instructions, His will, and His promises. Faith takes hold of what is written in the Word because God and His Word are one.
Reflection: What keeps you from believing the Word of God, especially when it concerns the supernatural? What truths about God do you need to know, and what strongholds need to be torn down?
Sermon Series：Jesus Ministers Through His Body After the Resurrection
