A Heart Focused On Pleasing God
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
Hebrews 3:13
Each day has its own challenges, responsibilities, and problems. Each can be faced only one at a time. The author of Hebrews suggests three daily disciplines to help you remain faithful, no matter what day it is:
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Today, “hear his [God’s] voice” (Hebrews 3:7).
Today, “encourage one another” (Hebrews 3:13).
Today, “do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 3:8,15).
Listening to God’s voice, encouraging your brothers and sisters in Christ, and refusing to harden your heart—three essentials for enjoying daily victory in Christ.
Today, Alexander Maclaren challenges you to examine and avoid that which tempts you to be unfaithful to God.
WALK WITH ALEXANDER MACLAREN
“We may get the things which tempt our desires; and there will be no illusion at all about the reality of the pleasure. But another question must be asked.
“You have received the thing you wanted; what then? Are you much the better for it? Are you satisfied with it? Is it as good as it looked when it was not yours?
“Is it as blessed now that you have stretched your hand and made it your own as it seemed when it danced there on the other side?
“Having attained the desire, do we not find that it fails to satisfy us fully?”
WALK CLOSER TO GOD
Father, thank you for your Word, which teaches me how to avoid sin. Help me to listen carefully whenever you speak to me through its pages. Cause me to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ and to draw strength from their example and fellowship.
Above all, Lord, grant me a soft, pliable, teachable heart, one that beats strongly for you. In the name of the one who wants to keep my heart focused on pleasing you. Amen.
