Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net
-----Original Message-----
From: "Apostle Tom" <pressingon@hotmail.com>
Sent: Fri, 25 May 2007 04:39:47 -0500
To: pressingon@hotmail.com
Subject: Morning Manna (May 26); BP: Heb. 3:7-19; RBTTY: Jn. 9:24-41; I Chron. 28-29
May 26 “On Exhorting One Another”
“Take heed, 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.”
Hebrews 3:12-13
If we truly love each other, we’ll both encourage and exhort one
another.
Everyone knows what a cheerleader is: That guy or gal that stands in
front of the fans, leading them in cheers for their favorite team as they
try to root them on to victory. They’re voices are loud. . .their actions
are emphatic. . .and their exuberance is contagious.
Although this isn’t the picture the author of Hebrews had in mind when
he wrote today’s message, his call to “exhort one another daily” is
basically the same thing—at least from a spiritual perspective. The Greek
word “parakaleo” is used here for “exhort” and also means “to call near,
invoke, entreat, beseech, etc.” and is the same intense verb the Apostle
Paul used in Rom. 12:1 (“I beseech”).
Thus, it’s a call to “emphatic encouragement.” It also has the idea of
“insistent imploring,” for there are some times we must “speak the truth in
love” (Eph. 4:15) when a Christian brother or sister has grown weak or
wayward in their walk (Gal. 6:1). However, Paul is quick to point out that
such “compassionate confrontation” must be done “in the spirit of meekness.”
Now, by nature, most of us are not comfortable with this. We’d rather
adopt a “live and let live” policy towards others. So, most of the time we
watch them self-destructing right before our very eyes, yet do nothing—so
afraid of offending them we are.
But, oh, dear Pilgrim, if we visited a friend and found him asleep on
the sofa with a rattlesnake coiled up beside his head, would we quietly
leave and say, “Oh, I hope he doesn’t get bitten?” A thousand times no!
We’d do whatever it takes to awaken him to his perilous condition and do all
we could to rescue him and kill the snake!
Why, then, do we sit idly by and watch a once on-fire believer slowly
turn cold and drift away? Why do we welcome them into the Family of God
with smiles and open arms, but then do nothing when they miss a few
Sundays—leaving them with the impression that no one cares?
How we need to “take heed” when temptation draws near—and how we need
to “exhort one another daily” lest the devil have a field day at our
expense. Remember: His job is to “steal, kill and destroy” (Jn. 10:10a).
That’s why we should “rescue the perishing” and “exhort one another”
whenever and wherever we can.
May the Holy Spirit help us today to remember who we are—“partakers of
Christ”—and our responsibility to help each other “hold the beginning of our
confidence steadfast unto the end.” Only then can we be assured of victory
in His Body. Only then.
_________________________________________________________________
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