Sunday, September 15, 2019

Falling Away

Hebrews 3:12-19 (ESV Strong's)

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,

do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

16 For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? 17 And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

It seems that we can believe, yet lose our way due to unbelief. Sin ranges from the blatant rebellion that lies within us all to a subtle deception that appears innocent in the beginning but whose fruit becomes bitter yet needful. Our confidence and faith comes from the Lord, but we must do our part in receiving and nurturing the gifts of Christ. 

The Israelites who witnessed the wonder and power of Almighty God soon forgot what they had seen and would fall in their wilderness journey to rise no more. They would never receive the promised land that was their inheritance because they lost sight of who they were and where they were going. 

The same temptations are common to all mankind and we can become distracted and hardened by the deceitfulness of sin so that we fall short of our destination and destiny. 



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