Helping your brothers and sisters

Hebrews 3:12-13

S - 12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. 13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still “today,” so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.

O - this is a great reminder for any of us to stay vigilant. how easy it is to fall away if our hearts, mind, body, & soul is not 100% committed to Jesus. the distractions of life, the devil planting a seed of discord, temptations that have led you astray in the past, your own wicked desires, or whatever it is that takes your eyes off of Him.

i like that paul tells it like it is - speak up if one of our brothers is struggling, falling away, or you seen him/her doing something you know is not in alignment with the Word of God. we want to help save them from their demise, not tomorrow, next week, or when you see them next time, the Word says ‘today’ so no pussyfooting around - say something!

A - need to be focused, committed, steadfast in our walk with the Lord; to have unwavering faith regardless of how challenging life is. also, we need to be willing to accept correction when and where needed in our lives, and to also speak up to those we love even it is painful to do so by confronting them on whatever they are doing that is wrong. on the other foot, if you are the one who is messing up, you need to accept what is being said so you can actually turn back before it is too late.

P - dear Heavenly Father, thank you for this reminder that we need to stay on track so that we don’t go off track. to focus on being closer to you, to be more like Jesus rather than living out our lives our way - which ultimately leads to death. whether i need correction or another brother/sister-in-Christ does, please help us to be bold and loving when speaking to them; being firm in our conviction on doing what is right while showing grace because we want them always aligned with you, Lord Jesus. in your might and precious name i pray, amen!