Hebrews 3:12,13 – “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”
The enemy in today’s New Testament One Year Bible reading is unbelief. Chapter three ends with the sad commentary of Israel’s failed attempt to enter the Promised Land by saying, “So we see they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Unbelief is a robber of God’s promises and blessings.
One of the antidotes of unbelief is exhortation. Verse 13 tells us to “exhort one another daily…” The word exhort is the Greek word “parakaleho.” It means to call near, to invite. It is similar to the Greek word used for the Holy Spirit in John 14:26 (Comforter = Paraklaytos). So with that mind, we are called upon as Christians to take on the ministry of the Holy Spirit to one another daily. Let me exhort you from today’s reading in Hebrews chapter 3.
Verse 1 says to “fix your thoughts on Jesus.” How many thoughts do we have each day? I’ve seen estimates range from 12,000 to 70,000! My brain is probably on the lower end but for you high output brainiacs, that’s a lot of thoughts. Oh, to think on Jesus today. “Lord, help my mind to not be so encumbered with things around me that I cannot think about heaven and the Lord who made it all possible.”
There is much said in the scriptures today about being faithful. I want to encourage you to be faithful to God today. Walk with Him, pray to Him, think about Him, and live for Him. Be faithful…today.
The reason we need to exhort one another daily is to avoid a deadly spiritual condition called “hardening.” When I was a kid my dad bought me a new baseball glove. We brought it home and he applied some oil to the glove that was especially made for leather because the glove was very stiff. Then he would put a baseball inside the glove and wrap the glove around the baseball and put a large rubber band around the glove to hold its form. After several days of working the oil into the glove the glove would become flexible enough to catch a ball and hold it.
Sin will make us rigid and inflexible. The oil of the Holy Spirit, applied daily, will keep us from becoming hardened through sin’s deceitfulness. Invite the Holy Spirit to massage you thoroughly with His presence. Ask Him specifically to keep you from becoming hardened.
Who do you know that needs to be exhorted today?