Written ~ 11-09-2023
Hebrews 3:12-15
12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.
13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.
15 Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear His voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
If you have made the lifestyle change of getting into the Word of God every single day, you know that it becomes something you look forward to, if a day is missed something in your day just doesn’t seem right. In our daily lives our priorities can get so jammed packed with various things that it may not include sitting down with our Bibles and seeking it’s wisdom. I know this from experience, I spent most of my life going about my business without consulting God in my decision making, or studying the Scriptures to learn more about my Savior and my Father in Heaven. It has taken me well into my adult years to finally figure out that my time in the Bible and communing with God each and every day is my lifeline! Why has it taken me so long? Well, it’s a rebellion that creeps in, it rests in our hearts and can cause us to do what we want to do instead of what God wants us to do.
Today’s Bible reading is both a warning and a reminder, the warning is to make sure we do not turn our hearts from God and the reminder is that when we have rebellion in our hearts it means we are not listening to the voice of God. This kind of warning and this kind of reminder are what we can struggle with every day, especially if we are not turning our hearts to the Lord.
Let’s look at verse 3:12,
12 “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.”
My prayer would be that each of you reading these Scriptures would look within your heart to make sure there isn’t anything that is causing you to turn from the Lord. We know that these human hearts of ours have a sinful nature which can lead us astray. The first warning here is that we do not allow an evil, unbelieving part of our hearts to gain control. I think most of you, like me, have known the Lord as our personal Savior for some time and wouldn’t dream of allowing evil and unbelief to have a place in our hearts. But… It’s subtle really… You start off excited, reading your Bible every day, digging in and finding it’s uplifting power intoxicating, you can’t wait for the next day to dive in again. But then something happens, the enthusiasm begins to wear off, the discipline of setting aside time with the Lord gets crowded out with daily responsibilities and eventually it could start feeling like a chore. Quite possibly the idea of returning to that one thing that brought you such joy, has now been set aside completely and has become a distant thought. If we discontinue doing the one thing that can keep us from “…turning away from the living God…” what has settled into our hearts instead? Now, you might be thinking… “I’m not evil, I’m not rebellious! I wouldn’t think of turning my heart away from God! I’m just not reading my Bible.” I have lived these statements almost my whole life! I know really well how to rationalize my behavior and make it not seem all that bad. Yes, I was a believer. Yes, I prayed. Yes, I went to Church. I never did anything evil. Did I? But think about it, when does not being in the Word of God become a point of rebellion? Verse 3:12 begins with, “…Be Careful…” So, if you find yourself not turning to your Bible, maybe it’s time to heed the warning from this verse…
Now let’s look at verse 3:13,
13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we have the responsibility to one another to have an accountability. If you see a fellow believer struggling in their walk with the Lord, it may be time to step in and pull them back on the right path. This is where my passion lies. I have known for a very long time that my enthusiasm gets heightened greatly when I can bring encouragement to a believer who might just need a little nudge to get back into the Word of God. It says here in verse 3:13, “we are to warn each other every day…” That means we need to communicate the love of Jesus Christ to each other EVERY SINGLE DAY! Are you being an encouragement to other believers? Or do you kind of stand back, not wanting to step on any toes and let them go about their business. What if you see a friend starting down a bad path? Do you warn them like the Scriptures say to do? We warn each other because we don’t want to see any of our brothers and sisters being deceived and hardening their hearts against God.
I have heard Christians say (in so many words), “I don’t need to read the Bible, I already believe what it says, why do I need to read it when I have already accepted Jesus as my Savior?” What would you say to that kind of attitude? Well. If you have read the Bible and studied it for any length of time you know the power hidden within it’s pages. You know that this Bible, the words written in here are LIVING words, they breathe new life into your spirit each time you read from its pages. Over and over again, the same verses you have read several times in your lifetime, jump off the pages as if it was for the very first time. There is no way your heart can become hardened if you are in the Word of God every single day. This is how we encourage one another and remain accountable to one another. By checking in often, just to make sure our hearts are not being turned in any way and that we are remaining in the Word of God. I knew of a man, who said he read the Bible (once) all the way from page one to the last, afterwards he set it on the shelf and never went back to it again. Why? Because he treated the Bible as a novel, he had the attitude that you read a novel once but it isn’t necessary to read it again. Wow, did he ever miss the point of what the Bible should be used for! Was his heart hardened towards the Lord? Maybe not, but by not digging into the Word of God there had to be something missing in his understanding of who God is and who the Lord Jesus Christ is. Let’s not make that kind of mistake. Let’s allow the Scriptures to pierce our souls, have it create a desire to dive in every day so that it becomes too powerful to ignore.
Verse 3:14,
14 “For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.”
Oh what joy lies ahead, when we trust in the Lord. When we pour over the Scriptures each and every day we get excited about the things to come! That’s why standing firm in our faith is so important, that’s also why it is so important to feed our faith with the study of the Bible. In Hebrews 2:1-2a it says,
1 “So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. 2 For the message God delivered through angels has always stood firm…”
Also in Hebrews 4:12a it says,
12 “For the Word of God is ALIVE and POWERFUL…”
Our hearts and minds, as believers, should be drawn to the Scriptures, we should have an unquenchable yearning to learn all we can from the Word of God. If your thirst and hunger for the things we learn from the Bible has been stagnated, what is it that needs to be relit in your heart to get you back into the study of God’s Word? That’s something you might need to explore if you aren’t excited about reading your Bible… Believe me, in years past, I have felt this way… But I am overjoyed that finally the small flame that barely flickered has been caught ablaze like a bonfire in my very soul, because now, everything within me wants nothing more but to be in the Word of God, continually…
Verse 3:15 says,
15 Remember what it says:
“Today when you hear His voice,
don’t harden your hearts
as Israel did when they rebelled.”
Let’s not harden our hearts from learning all we can about Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. We hear God’s voice within the Scriptures, so if we choose not to read from it… guess what? It is a form of rebellion.
So, today, think about how you spend your days. All of us have varying degrees of busyness, some a lot more than others. Let’s try to keep each other accountable to reading our Bibles, not just read it out of duty or routine but to have it’s words turn us away from evil and rebellion. Have the Word of God create in your heart, mind and soul a bonfire of enthusiasm that makes way for the Scriptures to become alive and powerful within you.
Father God, I know it’s easy for these human hearts of ours to become evil and rebellious. Place in my heart the continued desire to study Your Word every day and to be an encouragement to other believers to do the same.
I love You Lord!
~AMEN~
- Part of my heart’s desire is to reach out to those who do not yet know the living power within the Scriptures and to provide an outlet for curiosity and faith to grow. My prayer is that your heart would turn from rebellion and lean into what the Word of God can bring your heart, mind and soul. By placing your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will belong to a family with endless numbers of brothers and sisters who want nothing more than to provide love and encouragement. Pray this prayer of Salvation and join a family that will rejoice with you every step of the way…
Dear Jesus, You know my heart, all the things I have done and said. Please forgive me for my unbelief. Please forgive me for all of my sins. I believe You are the Son of God. I believe You came to earth to die on the cross for my sins. I believe You rose from the dead to give me freedom from sin and death. By faith through believing in Who You Are, I accept You as my Lord and Savior. Come into my life, cleanse this heart of mine, white as snow. Help me not to doubt any longer and breathe life into me, fill me with Your light. Thank You Jesus! Amen.
If you solemnly prayed this prayer, tell at least one person, so they can share in your joy!! I rejoice with you! All the angels in Heaven rejoice with you! “Today when you hear His voice, don’t harden your hearts…”
It is very important to me that those who might be reading these journal pages of mine and don’t yet know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you make that decision. Today. Your heart and mind may not understand everything you have been reading, but if you open your heart to the truth of who Jesus is, you will be saved from sin and death. By the Power of the Holy Spirit you will be amazed at how quickly after giving your heart to the Lord your eyes and ears will be opened to the truth.