Pages from my journal (more like a brief snippet): Exhortation

Evening devotional entry: 27/07/14

Hebrews 3:12-14

"Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God." (v.12)

In speaking to the Hebrews, and reminding them of the history of the Jews in the wilderness, Paul is giving instruction that is intended to keep the reader from unbelief; which (as observed in the verse) draws us further away from God. He invites us then to take heed...

What is that instruction?:

 "... exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." (v.13). 

Here is given a preventative tool against the heart being hardened: exhorting one another. This is advice to prevent hardness of heart in the one who is to receive the exhortation, but it is just as much in the case of the one who exhorts.

We need to exhort, and be exhorted every day. Were this the practice, there would be far less unbelief (in departing from the living God) and far less hardness of heart than is currently the case.

The reason this is important is found in verse 14:

 "For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end."

In partaking of Christ, we ought not to rest solely on a past experience, but each day we are to be exercising our heart against unbelief, and a powerful way of doing this is through "exhorting one another daily", that is: not only receiving daily exhortation, but also being one who exhorts others daily.

 

Exhorting others then not only blesses the one who receives it, but just as much the one who exhorts. Then: exhort some one today.

 

Blessings

 

PS. I poured water on my laptop last week and as a result some of my material has been lost [temporarily I pray :)]. Providentially I had backed up some of my written work about 2 weeks back so the notes on my "Mercy and the Everlasting Gospel" studies are about just a week deferred... God is still faithful, Rom. 8:28