“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.”(Hebrews 3.13, ESV)
After the summer of my sophomore year of high school I made the decision to try-out for the football team. The team needed the players and as a result, I was accepted to the team with open arms (this was my first time to be on an organized team like this). Because this was my first time being on a team I had a profound sense of excitement. The excitement however, was short lived. The next few weeks brought about a series of sessions of me being yelled at and it wasn’t long before I decided “this isn’t for me” and left.
Maybe you’ve had an experience similar to this. You attempted something you thought was going to be wonderful…only to find out later that it really wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. This was my experience when trying out for football; maybe you experienced this when you tried to start a new hobby or a new career. Maybe this has been your thinking since you made the decision to become a Christian.
For those of you that are Christians, I’m sure you can remember the day that you were baptized. I remember mine as a joyous occasion. I was added to the church and couldn’t have been happier! But it wasn’t too long until I let the world get a hold of me. I would let myself get discouraged from my Christianity and there have even been times when I’ve thought “this isn’t for me”.
Many Christians today go through the same exact thing! They get discouraged and as a result they let themselves get in a “spiritual pit” that is oftentimes very difficult to be pulled out of. Our responsibility as Christians is to encourage one another as we attempt to live a life that is pleasing to God. This verse in Hebrews is one that I thoroughly enjoy because it is a reminder that I need to be an encouragement to all my Christian brothers and sisters in Christ day after day after day!
I think the problem is, is that we liken Christianity to that of a hobby, a career, or in my case football. When things get tough, we pack up our things and go to what’s easier. We’ve got to understand that Christianity is not something that should be taken lightly. It’s not something that should be thought of as an “I’ll do it when it’s convenient for me” kind of thing.
The truth is Christianity can and will be difficult. It requires hard work on our end and we need to encourage other people to stay with it and not give up! This week I want to encourage you to encourage others to keep their head up and continue on “the race that is set before us” (Heb. 12.1). Without encouragement it’s easy for someone to fall away, however if you just take the time to let someone know that they’re not alone in this…you may save their soul and help them enter our “rest” (Heb. 4.9-11) that awaits those who are “firm to the end” (Heb. 3.14). -Jack D.
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