Greetings beloved,
Today, let’s delve into some admonitions from the author of Hebrews concerning escaping the deceitfulness of sin:
“But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today,’ so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”
Hebrews 3:13
This verse underscores the immediate peril of indulging in sin. The author warns that one can become hardened by entertaining sin. The Greek word for “harden” used by the author can also mean “to make stubborn.” Essentially, when we entertain sin, we become stubborn towards God, akin to defiant children refusing to heed their father’s instructions.
It’s crucial to note the adjective used to describe sin: “deceitful,” implying cunning and aimed at misleading. Sin deceives us to the extent of hardening our hearts.
The prescribed solution offered to the readers of this epistle is mutual encouragement. However, genuine encouragement doesn’t come naturally to us. It requires us to take time to sincerely notice positive aspects about others. It’s far easier for us to dwell on the negatives in the world.
Yet, the author insists that to avoid being ensnared by the deceitfulness of sin, we must purposefully focus on recognizing the good in our lives and appreciating and encouraging one another. The author is so convinced of this remedy that they urge readers to engage in this practice of encouragement daily, without fail.
Key takeaways:
- Indulging in sin leads to hardened hearts, making us unwilling and unable to obey God’s word.
- The antidote to the peril of hardened hearts is mutual encouragement.
- To consistently encourage one another, we must resist our natural inclination to focus on the negative and instead take time to recognize the positive in our lives and in others.
“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is dignified, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, consider these things.”
Philippians 4:8
May this message be a blessing to you.
Blessings, Paul.
Leave a Reply