Heb 3:12-13 Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called "TODAY," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin."
Oh, how we need to put this commandment into practice!
The word "Exhort" means: Greek = parakaleō
1) to call to one's side, call for, summon
2) to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
a) to admonish, exhort
b) to beg, entreat, beseech
1) to strive to appease by entreaty
c) to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to comfort
1) to receive consolation, be comforted
d) to encourage, strengthen
e) exhorting and comforting and encouraging
f) to instruct, teach
It ranges all the way from encouragement to rebuke. It is in the Imperative mood, which means we are to be doing this.
It is a command!
What keeps us from "Exhorting" on another? Fear.
Fear of what another might say or think.
Either the person we are Exhorting or others who may be around. We fear that they might look down on us or call us into account, pointing out our flaws as well. We fear that we might lose our friendship with the one we are exhorting. We fear "Confrontation." We would rather not address the issue.
Pride keeps us from receiving it!
A Humble Heart wants to know where they fail or fall short.
Yet all this does not change God's command that we exhort one another daily. The reason is given. "…lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin." There is a real tendency for you and I to make light of sin. To call it something else and not to address the issue at hand. We each need friends who love us enough to confront us when we say or do the wrong things. Notice the purpose is to Instruct. The exhortation is for the purpose of seeing the person DO WELL in their spiritual walk, not for putting them down. The desire for each one of us should be to Live a Holy and Godly Life. We all will fall short in that, but we do not minimize it or ignore it. The Godly person wants to hear his shortcomings so the he might be all that God wants him to be. He has the same attitude as Jesus, wanting to be submitted to God in everything.
We all, including pastors, need to be exhorted every once in a while.
We need not shrink back from this but embrace it as from friends who care and want to see me do well.
We need to be reminded we are not to be of this world or acting like this world.
We need to be reminded of the Evil Heart of unbelief.
I personally need to be reminded that I am to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
We all need to be reminded that we are to be "Holy and Blameless before Him…"
