“But encouraging one another day after day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

(Hebrews 3:13)

Today is the best day!  It is the day you have.  Yesterday is a day for historians. Tomorrow is a day for dreamers.  Today is the day for doers!  It is the day when encouragement and change happen.

When is the best time to encourage others? Today.

When is the best time to say those words that ought not to be left unsaid? Today.

When is the best time to remind each other that we are not alone? Today.

When is the best time to fight the calcifying effects of sin and start with better habits? Today.

Revel in today, for someday, there will be no more today at all.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For assuredly, He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham.”

(Hebrews 2:16)

I am hard pressed to find a more encouraging verse in all of Hebrews.  The Lord helps us, not angels… us.

Help is the act of making someone else’s life easier through your own effort and resources.  The literal phrase here in Hebrews is “to take upon or seize”.  Jesus has seized upon our plight and extended His efforts and resources to our aid.  His suffering has made ours easier and His pains have paved the path for our renewal.

Perhaps, you are feeling that life is too difficult and the path God would have you live and the burdens you must carry are too heavy to bear.  The knot of our past can be untangled with help from the King, and He bears our loads and places an easier yoke upon our shoulders.

If the command seems too hard or the road too steep – don’t worry.  He’s here to help.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“How will we escape if we neglect so GREAT a salvation?”

(Hebrews 2:3a)

We have the Bible in printed form, digital form, and indexed for searching – isn’t it GREAT?

We live in the era after Jesus died on the cross, so we know how much God loves us – isn’t it GREAT?

We have the time, health, and freedom to work for the Lord like no other generation could – isn’t it GREAT?

What will history say of the Christians of 2021?

“They were given so much, and they did so much with it!”

OR

“They were given great things, but they did so little with it!”

The choice is ours, and it’s a great one.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

(Hebrews 2:1)

Drifting is the act of slowly being carried off.  When a boat drifts away from the dock, it does so at an almost imperceptible speed.  When a leaf floats on the wind, the current lazily carries it to the ground in a graceful fall.  Drifting is calm and subtle, and that’s why spiritual drift is so dangerous. Like a tired commuter, the car gently glides into the wrong lane of traffic, and everything is peaceful until it isn’t.

The problem with life is that if you don’t pay attention to your soul, you’ll start to drift where you don’t want to go.  Drift is the slow killer of Christians and the anesthesia of the lost.  It doesn’t feel bad, but they call them snow drifts for a reason: y’all end up piled together with the crowd by default.

You won’t drift into the narrow path of salvation.  It takes diligence, attention, and active engagement in your spiritual life to grow in Christ.  Heaven doesn’t happen by accident.  You must choose to hear, choose to pay attention, and own your spiritual growth.  Don’t be a drifter.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And like a mantle you will roll them up, like a garment, they will also be changed. But You are the same, and your years will not come to an end.”

(Hebrews 1:12)

After a long day of toil and sweat, it’s time change your clothes.  They were good clothes, but they’ve served their purpose, and as the twilight arrives, we seek more comfortable attire.  Every day is the same: get up, get dressed, work hard, and then change our garments when the work is done.

This earth is one big garment.  Now we work, but won’t it be glorious when it’s time to change?

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…”

(Hebrews 1:1-2)

The term ‘last days’ often leads our minds to think about the end of time, yet that is not the intended idea in this passage.  ‘Last’ refers to ‘the end of a sequence of things or events’.  The writer of Hebrews is pointed our minds to the history leading up to Jesus.  In the past, God had spoken to fathers like Abraham and Isaac, national leaders like Moses and David, or prophets such as Habakkuk or Deborah.

In each of these communications, God had given the hearers partial knowledge and, with that, partial authority to invoke His name.  All those fathers and prophets were dominoes dropping in an orderly sequence of events that led to Jesus whom God gave “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

There are no further revelations or future prophets and saviors to look for on the horizon.  Jesus is the Omega; He is the last and the best.  We look for no further teachings from God.  The New Testament is the completion of His commentary to mankind, and it contains the message of Jesus – the one who died for us.  He is the last because He is the completion, and we need no one else.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Matt. 4:4 #Biblebites

“And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him…”

(Acts 28:30)

Evangelism comes in many forms.  In Paul’s case, when he couldn’t go out with the gospel, he made sure the seekers could come in.  The key word is ‘welcoming’.  Paul had an open-door policy while under house arrest in Rome, and his availability allowed him to continually reach the lost becomes those looking for answers found him to be accessible.

Which begs the question: are we available and accessible?  If someone is seeking answers, doing soul-searching, and looking for a welcoming heart to help, would they look to us?  If we are too busy for the lost, then we are not available.  If we are not interested in people and their problems, we will not be welcoming… and if we are never around the lost, we will not be accessible.

Evangelism involves being genuinely curious about the lives of others so that we make ourselves open to them and their struggles.  When our hearts and our doors are open, those who are asking, seeking, and knocking (see Matthew 7:7) might just find Christ through us.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And the brethren, when they heard about us, came from there as far as the Market of Appius and Three Inns to meet us, and when Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage.”

(Acts 28:15)

Brethren give us courage.  When Paul met the Christians on his way to Rome, it didn’t matter that he was headed to trial – Paul knew he wasn’t alone, and that made him grateful and bold.

We need each other.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“Having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of all, and he broke it and began to eat.”

(Acts 27:35)

Next time you feel like you are in too much of a hurry to stop and pray before you eat… remember that Paul gave thanks in the middle of a shipwreck.

Perspective.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“…the God to whom I belong and whom I serve…”

(Acts 27:23)

Ownership – that’s what God had over Paul.  Paul belonged to God, and what his Master said was law.  Paul wasn’t playing church.  Paul lived like someone who had been bought by blood and lived a life as a bound servant.

What would you do differently if you woke up tomorrow and asked what your Master would have you do?  Would you live differently (would you serve differently) if you remembered you belonged to Him?

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites