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."
(Heb 3:12-15, NIV)
In the middle of a comparison of the receiving community with the community of Israel and its sin in the desert, the writer of Hebrews drives the point home to his weary readers: "Hold on," he says, "the desert is for testing." He exhorts the weary community to encourage one another, indicating that endurance and resistance to sin are community matters.
Our cultural context makes it so easy to get caught up in our own concerns, struggling along our own path with no thought of another. Small wonder we feel so completely lost and overwhelmed at times, when we have made no effort to bolster each other. In fact, the book of Hebrews itself (called a "word of exhortation") and this very devotional practice are representatives of something more. They exhibit the encouragement of others to hold fast in the face of exhaustion, disappointment, disillusionment, and sorrow.
Speaking of sharing each other’s burdens, the text says that we have come to share in Christ if we hold on. One of the most gigantic questions in human existence is "why?" When we are totally spent, or even just a little worn out, the question "Why keep going?" comes to our minds. Little do we realize what holding on means. We often become so consumed by the struggle of our lives and work that we think even if we hold on we will still just be hanging by our fingernails, straining through a meaningless fight.
The author of Hebrews, though, tells us that hanging on means sharing in Christ. We have already seen how Jesus has shared our reproach. By hanging on, we come to share in him. Maybe it will be just a little bit easier to hold on and keep on going today knowing what that effort means. You are not just scraping by, you are sharing in Christ through your blood and sweat and tears.
Blessings,
Greg and Tiffany
