See to it, brothers and sisters, 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 indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:12-14
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:23-25
Dear Lord Jesus, I’m so grateful for the friends—both brothers and sisters, you’ve woven into my story and journey. Being an introvert, investing my heart in long-term relationships has required, and still requires, a lot of your grace—grace that you’ve been faithful to supply. Isolation is no longer an option. Aloneness is a disastrous set up. Self-sufficiency is insufficiency.
I’ve already gripped the handle of a couple of friends’ caskets, and other friends will do the same for me one day. More than ever, I want us to finish well together in the gospel. What will this look like and what will it take, Jesus? While it is still “Today,” how do we love well? How do we presume about nothing and pursue one another in everything? What does spurring one another to love and good deeds look like? (Hebrews 10:24)
My temptation is to treat my easiest friendships like a broken-in pair of Birkenstock sandals—I just enjoy them without much thought or effort. It’s a great gift to have a few friends who can finish each other’s sentences, endure one another’s jokes, appreciate each other’s quirks, and accept one another’s weaknesses. Surely this is a gospel gift.
Yet, Jesus, this Scripture, I’m praying through today, is quite sobering. We’re still foolish people, capable of acting out in very destructive ways, prone to wander, easy targets for temptation. With all of my being, I trust in the grip of your grace and the security of your Bride, but your Word is very clear. Continuance in gospel faith is a sign of a real faith. That doesn’t scare me, but it does sober me.
Help us know how to hold each other accountable for believing the gospel—the main accountability we need. Help us take each other’s heart struggles seriously. Help us never to minimize or marginalize the deceitfulness and hardening power of sin.
Help us preach the gospel to our own hearts daily, and to each other with joy and consistency. Until “Today” segues into the Day of your longed-for return, let us take one another’s holiness and health seriously, with faithfulness and joy. So very Amen I pray, in your all-glorious and grace-full name.