Quote from Forum Archives on November 11, 2011, 3:31 pm

Posted by: edwrather <edwrather@...>

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The Burning Bush Devotional
There are 18,000 Subscribers to the Email Devotional
Classic from 2002

11.11.11

Hearts of Clay

Today's devotional was written by my son, Clark Wrather, who is the pastor
of the First Baptist Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma.

Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the
rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness, where your fathers tested
Me, tried Me, and saw My works forty years. Therefore I was angry with that
generation, and said, 'They always go astray in their heart, and they have
not known My ways.' So I swore in My wrath, 'They shall not enter My rest. - Hebrews 3:7-11.

Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in
departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is
called 'Today,' lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of
sin. - Hebrews 3:12-13.

No one had ever told me about the red clay around here! Last week, we had to
dig a 3 ft. deep pit fit for cooking a pig (For a youth event.). The first 8
or 9 inches went by quickly, then we hit this awful red clay.

The clay would stick to your shovel. It was hard to remove. Eventually, we
had to get a pickaxe and pummel the clay over and over and over again. You
can probably imagine how much fun this was..

Finally, the pit was the right depth, because enough red clay had been
chipped away. The hole was now ready for a big fire and a fine swine.

I know several people who have hearts that seem to be molded out of the same
red clay. God has to hammer away at them. Sometimes it seems like He uses
the spiritual equivalent of a pickaxe. Unlike me, God's not wanting to roast
a pig in there. He does chip away at your heart for a purpose.

You see, God wants to enlarge His home in your heart. He wants to fill you
completely with His Holy Spirit. Sometimes, we are so stubborn that God has
to get out his pickaxe or dynamite to knock out that "red clay" in our
hearts.

It is so much easier when we ask God to fill us up and actually let Him do
it. Our hearts become like sand and His Spirit flows into every aspect of
our lives.

Copyright © 2002. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. The Burning Bush website has
been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the
Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals
in the early 1990s. The distribution of these first devotionals was
primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities
throughout the United States and Canada.

Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer
Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there and they will be
forwarded to the Burning Bush Prayer Group (Of course, I am always in need
of prayer - please pray for me.). Please pray for our grandson, Mason
Wrather, as he recovers from surgery. Please pray a member of our church who
is battling cancer, Connie Bryan.

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Two videos of my sermons are posted on GodTube (now Tangle) at:
connect.tangle.com/Wrather

You can listen to services at my son, Clark Wrather's church (First Baptist
Church of Broken Bow, Oklahoma) live on Sunday mornings at 10:55am CST
www.kkbifm.com/
Several videos of Clark's sermons can be found at his church website:
www.fbcbrokenbow.com

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