Tag: Today
Watch out for unbelief!
Scripture reading for October 16: Hebrews 3
“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 written, “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 with whom was He provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 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.” Hebrews 3:12-19
God had the prophets and apostles write down the story of His redemption and work to bring His people into full salvation and an inheritance. The story of God’s people being delivered by Moses from slavery in Egypt was recorded by Moses and retold by the psalmist in Psalm 95 and by Paul as examples for us. (1 Corinthians 10:6-12) Their journey from Egypt to the promised land should have taken a short time, but His people would not listen to God’s direction and instruction. They suffered from the sin of ‘unbelief.’ It is not that they did not hear, but that they chose to ignore and suppress God’s Word. This brought consequences that cost them their lives and a delay in obtaining what God had promised. It took forty years for the older generation to die in the wilderness. What they had feared came upon them!
Now the writer of Hebrews exhorted Jewish believers in Jesus to watch out for the evil and sin of unbelief in their own lives. “Today” was the only day promised to us and we must use the present to live by faith and trust in God’s Word. We must not complain or rebel against God’s Word. We must watch over each other and encourage one another to stand firm. If this sin of unbelief takes root, it causes hard hearts and affects others who are believers. The end result is failure to enter into God’s promised rest of eternal life in His presence. It can lead to eternal separation from God.
Have you ever heard God speak to you concerning something in your life needing attention? Are you the type of person who readily obeys or do you procrastinate? Do you have strong believers or pastoral guides that give you strong encouragement and warning when needed?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for the Scripture and the stories You recorded as examples for us. They are a source of encouragement to me. Thank you for your church and those who watch over me daily and give me the full counsel of Your Word. Use me daily to watch over my family and Your people. Amen.
Today is the day of Rest!
Scripture reading for August 11th: Hebrews 4
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 4:6-10 “Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again He appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken of another day later on. So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from His.”
Rest and peace are marks of those who have entered Christ’s kingdom by faith. God invited His people to enter into the promised land but they failed to enter because of unbelief and disobedience that resulted. They hardened their hearts and resisted hearing His voice, insisting that Moses would hear for them. The rest that was promised was acted out by the Jews each week as a celebration of the Sabbath where no work was done but time was taken to listen to God’s Word and rest in His great love and provision. This Sabbath was from sundown on Friday to sundown on Saturday evening. But the writer of Hebrews declared that God had appointed another day, “today,” to give His people rest under the New Covenant in Jesus Christ. Every day as it arrived was called “today” and was a day of rest in the finished work of Christ for our salvation, healing and provision. We must be diligent to enter into it on a daily basis!
Hebrews 4:11-12 “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Faith confession and prayer: Father, thank You for the ‘rest’ that we have today in Jesus Christ. I have ceased from my ‘work’ of trying to be good and keeping law and I now rest today in the finished obedience of Jesus Christ in the power of Your Holy Spirit. Reveal to me anything You see through Your Word that would disrupt my rest in Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
“Today” is the day for faith!
Scripture reading for February 19th: Leviticus 4-7, Hebrews 3
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 3:12-14 “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 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.”
Unbelief is a deadly sin and God sees it as evil. It always leads people away from God and into greater darkness. It hardens the heart and deceives our minds. Believers are to exhort one another to keep the faith and hold fast our confidence in Jesus Christ as our Savior from sin. “Today” is the only day we have to live by faith. Tomorrow may be too late! We will stand before God and answer.
Faith Confession and prayer: I hold on to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, the only way of salvation. Lord help me to be watchful over my life and others, exhorting myself and them to hold fast to faith in God’s promise through Jesus.
Leviticus 6:27-30 “If anyone of the common people sins unintentionally in doing any one of the things that by the Lord’s commandments ought not to be done, and realizes his guilt, or the sin which he has committed is made known to him, he shall bring for his offering a goat, a female without blemish, for his sin which he has committed. And he shall lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and kill the sin offering in the place of burnt offering. And the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar. . .”
Rejoice in the time of God’s favor!
Scripture reading for November 29th: 2nd Corinthians 5-8
Key Scriptures: 2nd Corinthians 5:21-6:2 “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, “In the time of My favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”
Paul urged the Corinthians to receive the grace of God and hold fast to it. That grace is summed up in the fact that God made Jesus Christ, His Son, to be sin for us that we might receive the gift of righteousness. This offer of favor is for now, today! We do not have a guarantee of tomorrow in this life! We can receive God’s grace in vain by hearing the gospel but failing to respond! May it never be!
The blessing of God’s favor: “This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and to reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!'” (Isaiah 49:8-9)
Press on to enter His Rest!
Scripture reading for October 18th: Hebrews 4
Key Scriptures for over-comers: Hebrews 4:11-13 “Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”
The writer of Hebrews used the example of the nation of Israel and their failure to enter the promised land because of the ten spies evil report. He warned New Testament believers of the importance of hearing and believing God’s word. We must act in obedience on what God said through His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our Sabbath rest. Today is the day to rest in His finished work! Failure to enter into Christ’s salvation rest is known to God and will be made evident on the day of Christ!
Observations for over-comers: Today is the day of Sabbath rest in Christ Jesus! Live by faith in His finished work! “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion.” (Psalm 95:7-8, Hebrews 3:7, 4:15)
Jesus: Great High Priest!
Scripture reading for October 19th: Hebrews 4
The Old Testament Jews failed to enter the rest of faith because of unbelief. They hardened their hearts and disobeyed God and did not enter the promised land by resting in faith in God’s promises. They tried to achieve favor with God through works of their own and keeping the Law. They did not simply trust in the promise of God.
“There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God: for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His. Let us , therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.” (Hebrews 4:9-11) Jesus Christ is our Sabbath-rest. He finished the work necessary for salvation and offered His blood, once for all. All who believe in Him will be saved and enter His rest.
“Therefore, since we have a great High Priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who had been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16) We can rest in confidence that Jesus Christ, our great High Priest, will give us the mercy and grace we need to find rest in His promises! We can ask boldly and receive!
God’s favor for today!
Scripture reading for July 31st: Isaiah 49-51
“This is what the Lord says: “In the time of my favor I will answer you, and in the day of salvation I will help you; I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people, to restore the land and reassign its desolate inheritances, to say to the captives, ‘Come out,’ and to those in darkness, ‘Be free!’ “(Isaiah 49:8-9)
These next chapters of Isaiah tell of the “servant” of the Lord that would come to bring the promised comfort, salvation, and deliverance to God’s people. Isaiah had already said that “Immanuel” would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Isaiah 9:5-6 He would be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Prince of peace! His government would be without end! In Isaiah 49:5-6 God told how He would form His servant in the womb. This servant would bring Jacob back to Him and gather Israel. Then God said that He would also make this servant a light for the Gentiles, bringing His salvation to the ends of the earth!
Jesus began the time of favor in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Isaiah 61:1-2) Notice how similar this quote is to our text for today’s devotion! Jesus Christ announced His ministry of preaching, healing and deliverance to those in His home town of Nazareth. They did not receive the message with the joy that was expected, but became furious and tried to throw Jesus off the brow of a steep cliff!
The “time of favor” referred to the year of Jubilee during which every Israelite would have his inheritance restored! If they had lost property through neglect or illness or bad business dealings, the property was to be restored. (Leviticus 25:8-13) Jesus Christ was stating that He was their ‘Jubilee’!
Today we live in the “time of His favor” with promised restoration! Be sure to thank the Lord for what He has done in Jesus Christ! Proclaim this good news with someone who needs God’s favor today!
Sin’s deceitfulness
Scripture reading for November 1st: Hebrews 3:1-19
“Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the One who appointed Him, just as Moses was faithful in all of God’s house. … Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house.” (Hebrews 3:1-2, 5-6a)
Jesus is the focus of all true believers. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ to save us, we are adopted into God’s family and become ‘holy brothers’ with Jesus, the Son of God. (Romans 8:14-15) (Galatians 3:26) Jesus was appointed by His Father to the roles He obediently assumed. The Son of God was obedient and faithful to His calling. In fixing our thoughts on Jesus, we can grow in our worship and understanding of who He is and who we are in Him!
The writer to the Hebrews was contrasting Jesus with Moses. Moses, being picked by God, was faithful to lead God’s people out of slavery and through the desert for forty years. This journey should not have taken forty years. The sin of unbelief caused the people to turn back and die in the desert! Jesus Christ was and is God’s Son, holding a position of greater honor than Moses! Jesus is leading us to Father’s house!
“So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the desert,. . See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at the first.” (Hebrews 3:7, 12-14) The Hebrews had not listened to God speaking through Moses during the Exodus. They had let their flesh turn their hearts back to Egypt and this kept them from entering the promised land. The sin was failure to trust God to bring them into their land! Jesus promises to take us in–Today! We must continue to pay close attention and follow Him to Glory!