"Do not harden your hearts"

-
"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 first.  As has just been said:
“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion.” Hebrews 3:12-15

It is good to have someone close; someone who knows your heart beat, a tone of voice or a look indicating a mood. I am not lost in the Big Ten of sins in any obvious ways. Though in more subtle ways, I violate them daily. But this is the point. The real sin is always what we do in relationship to God. It starts with little doubts and soon it is an unbelieving heart turning away from the living God.

Sometimes I see it in a mood swing caused by something disagreeable in my environment. Or it could be that I am fearful and anxious about something of which I have no control. At other times, I am oblivious, until a trusted friend. says something like, "You seem a little off today" This is often my wife because she knows me better than anyone. Another time, a friend mentioned that I seem to be using the terminology of, "I hate this" or "I don't like that". It would have been more kind and truthful to simply say, "That isn't in my taste range" or "I tend to enjoy a different style". One says we are at odds with one another, while the other says, we can be friends; we simply enjoy different things.


I gain great encouragement in a friend like that, after I have my moments of denial and self defense. So this passage is a great reminder that if I hear His voice, hardening my heart is not the answer to joy and peace. Whether His voice comes through a trusted friend, a little nudge in my spirit, a passage of scripture or a quote from a book, I need to listen carefully to see what my response might be that best fits what Jesus would do. In our church we call that, "All Eyes On Jesus". Most churches have a similar challenge, that we would be wise to not see, as just another slogan. We are, after all, disciples of Jesus and we get to share in being sons or daughters of our loving and faithful Father. As such, we all share in Christ, though we may have trifling differences of just how that comes about.

By Larry Yarrington

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Perseverance 2.0 by Susan Yarrington

-
Image
  PERSEVERANCE…2.0 Two perspectives of perseverance…the photo to the left is of a baby snapdragon plant growing in the crack of our window box.   I  planted snapdragons there…about 4 years ago! The seeds were buried but still alive… and started growing this summer! What perseverance these seeds have!       The photo below is also a story of perseverance…that of a fleabane ‘weed’, on the steps of a local retreat center our church is meeting at, until schools are open again! What a harsh growing environment… only rain water, little protection despite groups of humans stepping over it daily…and still it grows! I thought of how/where/when…I have persevered. That is….how I have made it through tough times, difficulties…only to ‘grow’ anyways. Only to ‘bloom’ despite tough conditions. More than ever…I have realized I actually ‘grow better’ despite tough circumstances. I SNAP  PHOTOS OF PERSEVERANCE..as often as I see them.  I think they are ‘pictures’ of encouragement to me. GROW ON…. DESPIT
Read more

Life is a Trek with Purpose and Meaning - by Larry Yarrington

-
Image
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3 When I hike, I like to only carry in my backpack what I actually need. An EPI pin because I am extremely allergic to wasp stings, a first aid kit, some energy bars, hiking sticks and water. As I am trekking up the mountain, every additional piece of equipment slows me down. When I take Seenee Mae, I take an additional bottle of water and I notice it. I also find that keeping fixed on the goal is helpful knowing that when I achieve it, the views will be spectac
Read more

Plant your Pinecones by Jamie Palmesano

-
Image
Have you ever received a text that tugs at your heart? You read a few lines. And, stop. You are captured by the weight of what was just said. I received a message from a sweet lady who lives in Missouri, but won’t be able to visit Estes Park this year because of COVID. The paragraph that arrested my attention read, “Will you please do me a favor? Next time you are hiking, will you please pick up 4 or 5 pinecones, and mail them to me? I’ll plant them here at my house.” This was such a simple yet profoundly beautiful request to me. It touched me deeply. Earlier in the morning, I had been sitting in the dirt pulling weeds. I thought about how many weeds had grown in my heart. I considered the fallowness of my soil. I reflected on what’s growing in the garden of my life in this season. While my hands were busy attacking the weeds at their roots, as my grandma instilled in me, my mind was processing the words of First and Second Peter streaming through my earbuds. I
Read more