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Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International. |
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Do Not Wait
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 wilderness, where your
ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That
is why I was angry with that generation. I said, Their hearts are always going
astray, and they have not known my ways. So I declared on oath in my anger, They
shall never enter my rest. 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 sins deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if
indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. As has just been
said: Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in
the rebellion.1 We will all
spend eternity somewhere. Our destiny is determined by whether we accept or
reject forgiveness through Christ. But eternity seems far away, so some people feel
they can delay this decision. They think they can wait until they are closer to
death, and then they will ask Jesus to save them. The problems
with this reasoning are evident. First, there is no guarantee that you will
have any warning before death. Second, by spending a lifetime rejecting the offer from God, you risk developing a hardened heart. Hebrews 3:13 tells us to exhort
one another so that none will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
Rejecting God over and over again may prevent you from saying yes to God at the
end of your life. We must be careful not to abuse His grace. All those who
are not protected by salvation in Christ will face the reality of judgment
(Hebrews 10:26-27). By postponing a
decision for Christ, you not only lose the immediate blessings of a personal
relationship with God in the present, but you also risk future separation from
Him for all eternity. Do not wait! Come to Christ today. Acknowledge your sin,
ask Him for forgiveness, and trust Him as your Savior. Suggested
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, first I want to thank You that You did not give
up on me. You spoke to me over and over again through different people until I
heard the message of salvation and accepted You as my Lord and Savior. Second, help
me be an instrument that you can use to help others hear the message of
salvation. Let me be courageous and determined to speak the gospel to others.
May my life be a living testimony of Your love, mercy, and grace. In the name
of Jesus I pray, Amen. 1.
Hebrews
3:7-15 (NIV). Today’s Encounter
was written by: Rosina N. |
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