The author of Hebrews reminds his readers how their ancestors rebelled against God in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. The people of Israel didn’t trust God had the power to provide or that he even cared about their needs.
You and I can fall into the same trap. It’s tough to follow God’s commands and live as disciples of Jesus. Our daily struggle with sin can harden our hearts. We can begin to doubt God’s goodness.
Sin tempts us with promises that it cannot deliver. Even so, we sometimes think it's worth it to give in to temptation — just for a bit. We whisper to our conscience, “Tomorrow I’ll repent and follow God again.”
But, there’s no such thing as past-tense or future-tense discipleship. Hebrews repeatedly uses the keyword “today”. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7). Not tomorrow. Not yesterday. Today.
If we harden our hearts against God’s voice today, what makes us think we will listen tomorrow?
Every day, we can choose to listen to God’s voice or to harden our hearts against him. And every day, we have an opportunity to encourage one another to keep following Jesus, even when the road is difficult.
Dear heavenly Father, I choose to follow you today. Keep my heart soft and sensitive to your voice. Bring other believers into my life to encourage me and may I encourage those around me to keep seeking you. Amen.
Today's Challenge: Are you having a hard time trusting God right now? Today, take time to earnestly pray about it. Contact one of our free, confidential online mentors if you want to talk things through with someone.