Hebrews 3:12-14 - Christian Obedience and Encouragement.
Hebrews 3:12-14 (NLT) 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. 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. 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.
Hebrews 3:12-14 (AMP) [Therefore beware]
brethren, take care, lest there be in any one of you a
wicked, unbelieving heart [which refuses to cleave
to, trust in, and rely on Him], leading you to
turn away and desert or stand aloof from the
living God. But instead warn (admonish, urge, and
encourage) one another every day, as long as it is
called Today, that none of you may be hardened
[into settled rebellion] by the deceitfulness of
sin [by the fraudulence, the stratagem, the
trickery which the delusive glamour of his sin may
play on him]. For we have become fellows with
Christ (the Messiah) and share in all He has for
us, if only we hold our first newborn confidence
and original assured expectation [in virtue of
which we are believers] firm and unshaken to the
end.
COMMENTARY PEARL
One of my favorite state parks in
northern California is Goat Rock, which is on the
mouth of the Russian River. Our family is familiar
with this area because Rick's mom and dad lived
in Jenner, a small hamlet overlooking the river
and with views of the coast. If you've ever seen
the movie The Goonies, you've seen Goat Rock.
Goat Rock offers choices. A walk north on
the beach will take you to the mouth of the
river, where you can watch California sea lions and
their pups fishing and basking in the sun. If you
drive south and park, you can walk on a
sand-and-pebble beach with a view of an arched-rock island
white-topped with seagulls (and their guano). Goat Rock
is between the two beaches, and going in the
water there is tempting to some - but not everyone
who does is lucky enough to be rescued.
Warning signs are posted. No lifeguard is
on duty, and this is a hazardous place to be if
you're not paying attention. The surf is powerful,
and the undertow pulls you down deep where great
white sharks roam. If you somehow manage to get
back to the surface, there's still the riptide
that pulls you out to sea. Over sixty people have
been swept off their feet and disappeared.
If it's so dangerous, why do I love this
park?
I like to watch the sea lions. I love the
rhythm of the pounding surf, sometimes so heavy you
can feel the power in your chest. I love the
pools of pebbles and myriad of colors with each
wave. I love the wind in my hair and the smell of
salt, sea, and sand, the sound of seagulls, and
all the treasures you find along the beach.
I stay safe because I heed the warnings.
My life and the lives of those I love who come
with me depend upon believing what those signs
tell us.
The Bible offers warnings, too. We're
told to stay alert, to resist the devil (see 1
Peter 5:8), to heed the examples of others in the
past (see 1 Corinthians 10:11), to keep our
hearts from being hardened against God (see Hebrews
3:13). The truth is sobering: Those who mock God's
existence and turn their backs on Him will fall down,
be pulled under and lost. But those who take
God at His Word have a future and a hope.
Father God, teach me to see Your warnings
as acts of love. Just as Danger! signs keep
people out of treacherous riptides, Your limits are
in place to protect me. May I always heed Your
warnings and share them with others out of love.
[Earth Psalms by Francine Rivers]
COMMENTARY
Paint Or Get Off The Ladder
How do we find God and grow in him?
Jesus was adamant at this point. He says we must
do what he says. We must put into practical
obedience the knowledge that we have. He continually
asked people to drop their nets, to sell all they
had and to follow him.
We might say that Jesus had a theology of
obedience. And the object of this obedience was a
living person, not a historical norm, not a code of
laws, but himself. He called people to be
accountable to God whether they were believers or
skeptics who were searching. For example, he told
his disciples, "What is the point of calling me,
'Lord, Lord,' without doing what I tell you to do?"
(Luk.6:46 Phi)...
Jesus knew that obedience to his and his
Father's words yielded faith ... If I had to sum up
one's response to the gospel message, I would say
as William Pannell has said, "It's paint - or
get off the ladder." Jesus approached people
exactly like that. He told them to pick up their
brush and paint something.
Do you want to discover who Jesus is and
deal honestly with your doubts? Jesus' style is
not to suggest that you go and ponder the virgin
birth for three months but to begin doing what he
says. [Rebecca Pippert; Time with God devotional
SB]
Encouragement Is A Weapon Against Sin
The phrase "one another" is used
fifty-eight times in the New Testament. It says love one
another, care for one another, encourage one another,
support one another, pray for one another, greet one
another, and share with one another.
The word support carries the idea of
strengthening one another. Help one another become more
capable of facing the challenges of health and
living for Christ.
So reach out for support, and also
consider who needs support from you today. Biblical
fellowship is a radical level of friendship and
community that implies deep commitment out of genuine
and joyful love for one another.
God wired us in such a way that we need
each other. We get well in community. You need
your coworkers, your family, the people who sit
near you in church, the parents of your
children's friends - even if you don't yet know their
names, or even if you find them difficult at
times.
With a loving community of friends,
you'll be better able to cope with challenges like
fatigue, fear, frustration, failure, depression, and
despair. And most importantly, you won't have to walk
through them alone. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day
Devotional]
John D. Rockefeller is known for his
amazing success in business, but he had a greater
reputation among those who knew him as an understanding
man. He had a sincere appreciation for other
people and was willing to accept failure if an
honest attempt at success had been made.
When one of his partners, Edward T.
Bedford, failed in a business venture, costing
Rockefeller's company a million dollars, Rockefeller
responded with a statement that has become a classic
in business lore. He didn't criticize Bedford,
because he knew he had done his best. He did go down
to Bedford's office and say, "I think it is
honorable that you were able to salvage 60 percent of
the money you invested in the South American
venture. That's not bad; in fact, it's splendid. We
don't always do as well as that upstairs."
There's very little to be gained by
making someone feel worse regarding something they
already feel bad about! The gain lies in helping
someone see the beneficial side of a failure, the
positive lessons that can be learned from mistakes,
and to instill hope for the future. Encourage
another person today. You'll both feel, and do,
better. [God's Little Devotional Bible re 2Co.10:8]
Many who struggle with severe
disabilities, chronic pain, grief, or depression find
themselves with a short battery life of encouragement.
One day might find them cruising along on an
even keel, and the next day all of that hope
seems to evaporate. Today's Scripture acknowledges
this, with the writer challenging us to "encourage
one another daily... so that none of you may be
hardened by sin's deceitfulness." The truth is, we
all need daily encouragement from others when it
comes to keeping a positive outlook. If we don't
find that encouragement, the Bible says we're in
danger of being hardened - not only by sin, but
also by cynicism, bitterness, or despair. We need
other hope-filled believers in our lives, friends
who can lift us with wise words and reminders of
God's goodness, grace, and power. We also need to
be that kind of encourager, speaking confident
words and letting that hope put a smile on someone
else's face.
Lord, thank You for the amazing
encouragers You have placed in my life through the
years. I praise You for all those expressions of
solid truth that lifted my heart and kept me from
giving up in despair. I ask for the opportunity
today to speak such words of hope into someone
else's life. [Joni Eareckson Tada Daily Devotional:
http://www.joniandfriends.org/daily-devotional]
At Christmastime I'm like a child. I buy
a gift for my wife and then I can't wait to
give it to her. As soon as I get it wrapped and
under the tree, I'm asking her if she wants to go
ahead and open it. It drives her crazy! But she
smiles and says, "Come on, honey. It's just a few
more days until Christmas." I love to give her
gifts and watch her open them. But I know too that
the greatest gifts are those that we give all
year long. They are unwrapped, unplanned, don't
cost a dime, and they can change a life for the
better.
I'm talking about gifts like a word of
encouragement during a difficult time, a hug when we
really need it, a helping hand from a neighbor, a
smile to warm the day of a stranger, a commitment
to pray for someone else's need. Gifts like
these are a form of service to others. They
benefit both the giver and the receiver, and they
are especially valuable for those of us who are
journeying toward recovery. Taking the focus off of
ourselves and putting it on others helps us to grow
spiritually and emotionally. And it could mean a second
wind for someone who is struggling, ready to give
up and fall back into old habits. Best of all,
these gifts don't have to wait to be opened. They
bless us every day of the year.
Thank you, Father, for the simple gifts
that bring gladness to our hearts. In Jesus'
name, Amen. [Celebrate Recovery Daily Devotional
by John & Johnny Baker]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2015/20151102-1453.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs FGGibbs@abible.com
