Hebrews 3:7-19 (NRSV)
Read Hebrews 3:7-19 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, Verse 8do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, as on the day of testing in the wilderness, Verse 9where your ancestors put me to the test, though they had seen my works Verse 10for forty years. Therefore I was angry with that generation, and I said, 'They always go astray in their hearts, and they have not known my ways.' Verse 11As in my anger I swore, 'They will not enter my rest.'" Verse 12Take care, brothers and sisters, that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Verse 13But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Verse 14For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end. Verse 15As it is said, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." Verse 16Now who were they who heard and yet were rebellious? Was it not all those who left Egypt under the leadership of Moses? Verse 17But with whom was he angry forty years? Was it not those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? Verse 18And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, if not to those who were disobedient? Verse 19So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.
Devotion
“Beware of wickedly faithless hearts that turn away from the living God.” Compared with the physical violence against Christ, our modern sin is surprisingly subtle. Despite our over-consumption, irresponsibility towards the environment, and blind eyes towards poverty, few of us characterize ourselves or our way of life as wicked! Yet God calls us to account for what we really are. Society makes it easy to trust money, power, success, or material goods more than God. Christ died and rose for us, but our hearts can still be stubborn—we have times of faithlessness, but God never turns away!
Prayer
We pray, O God, for the grace to live out vocations of peacemaking in your service. Amen.