Hebrews 3:7-12 — Watch Yourself!

READ THIS: Hebrews 3:7-12

7 So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, 9 where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. 10 That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray, and they have not known my ways.’ 11 So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’” 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God.

WHAT’S THIS MEAN, ANYWAY?

This one is a little confusing and honestly if I was reading this in my Bible, this would be a passage I would skip over because I didn't know what was going on. But, after doing some research, what the Holy Spirit says in this passage is being quoted from Psalms telling people not to harden their hearts like how people did in Exodus when they fought with Moses and tested the Lord.

But what does this means for us today? The title of this section in my Bible is called "Warning Against Unbelief" and the application for us is really wrapped up in verse 12. We should make sure that ourselves and our Christian community do not turn away from God. In the same way that the people in Exodus hardened their hearts against God and didn't posses their gift of the promise land, we need to possess our possession given to us by God, the gift of salvation. 

But, but, how do we do that? Well, I'm glad you asked. There are two Bible verses that help explain it! First, Colossians 3:23- "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men." Secondly, 2 John 1:8- "Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward."

THINK ABOUT IT:

1. Was there ever a time when you felt yourself turn away from God? How did you/did you turn back to Him?
 
2. What are some ways that you think you can "possess" your salvation?

TRY THIS:

One way you can own your salvation is by doing your work heartily, like Colossians says. This looks like putting your best foot forward in all aspects of your life, like in schoolwork, how you interact with your family and friends, things like that!

SONG OF THE WEEK:
 
This week, we see how Jesus lived His life and that points us to living our lives differently! Think about this concept through the song of the week!



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