Hebrews 3:12-16, 18-19 - Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. As it is said, "Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? ... And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
This is a scary passage, and for good reason. The author is reminding us of what happened with the people of Israel, when God brought them to the edge of the Promised Land where they were supposed to go and live. Moses sent spies to report what the land was like, but when they came back, all but two of them gave a bad report. The land was wonderful, they said, but the people were tall and powerful, and there was absolutely no way they could ever conquer them in battle.
You might remember what happened next. Instead of trusting God to keep His promises and help them, the whole nation gave up. They turned against God's command and wanted to go back to slavery. In the end, they spent 40 extra years in the wilderness (see Numbers 13-14). Their children finally entered the Promised Land.
The thing that gets me is this: All of these people had seen God's miracles. They saw Him force Egypt to let them go free. They saw Him open a path through the Red Sea for them to go through safely. They saw Him provide food and water in the wilderness. And yet, at the very end, what? They couldn't trust Him to save them one more time.
What about us? All of us have been saved by God's mighty power. God Himself came into our world to be one of us, Jesus our Savior. He taught and preached and He did miracles to help people. When the right time came, He lay down His life on the cross so that the power of the devil would be broken forever, and we would have everlasting life. Now that He has risen from the dead, everyone who trusts in Him will go safely and joyfully into God's kingdom.
We who have seen God do so many great wonders for us—let's listen to the author of Hebrews. Let us "exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today' .... For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end" (Hebrews 3:13a, 14).
How do we do this? By retelling the stories. Remind your family what Jesus has done for you and for them. Encourage your friends. Pray and read the stories together. Jesus has saved us already. He will not fail us, even to the very end of our lives.
WE PRAY: Lord, help me to remember and trust You always. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
1. What has Jesus done for you? List as many things as you can.
2. In your personal life, how has God helped you? Retell a story.
3. Is God going to stop helping you in the future?
Today's Bible Readings: Hosea 9-11 Romans 15:14-33
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