Hebrews 3:1-19 We live in a day when many are falling away, and one of the main reasons is the severe lack of exhortation between brothers and sisters in Christ. The letter to the Hebrews could be subtitled “EXHORTING BELIEVERS TO EXHORT.” We are urged to exhort one another daily while it is still today. If we are faithful to exhort one another, we will not be as likely to fall for the deceitfulness of sin.
The hardening of our hearts comes when we stop fellowshiping with others, and if no one calls to say they have missed us, we begin to think nobody cares. That is exactly what the devil wants us to believe. No one would fall away from the faith into unbelief if they were daily being prayed for, encouraged and exhorted by their fellow believers. If I knew that someone from my church would be calling me weekly just to encourage me and ask me how I was doing, I would not want to let this person down.
There was a lady in our church who took upon herself the ministry of notes. She continually wrote notes to those in the body of Christ, and all of her notes were so encouraging and uplifting. This lady is no longer in our church. Perhaps no one wrote notes of encouragement to her. I really miss this ministry.
In our readings in the letter to the Hebrews we will discover exactly how to encourage and exhort one another. I am convinced that most Christian counseling centers would be closed if the body of Christ was doing its job of exhortation. All of Paul’s letters begin with an exhortation to the church he is writing to, and then he shares some of the things they need to improve upon in their service to the Lord. We do not know who the author of Hebrews is, but whoever he was, he understood the importance of the ministry of exhortation.
I am exhorted by the following scripture to take seriously the beautiful ministry of exhortation: “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today’; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin” (vv. 12-13).
Lord, forgive me for not exhorting my brothers and sisters in Christ daily. I pray You will help me establish this beautiful ministry of exhortation by giving me at least one name daily of someone who needs a call or a note of encouragement. Then help me, Holy Spirit, not to pass that opportunity by, but instead to act upon those gentle impressions You give me. Thank You.
READ: Ezekiel 1:1-3:15; Hebrews 3:1-19; Psalm 104:1-24; Proverbs 26:24-26
