"TODAY"

Hebrews 3:13 (NIV)
But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.

When I read this passage, I must take a moment to consider the word Today. Even now as I type, spell check wants me to use lower case. Why did the writer put so much emphasis on the today word? It was so strongly stressed that the translators used capitals to bring home the urgent need. Digging deeper I find that the urgent, implied imperative associated with the word today; has as synonyms the terms, vital, necessary, and very important. Now that’s a great deal of stress for one word alone. So I ask again, why?

When you think about it, Today is really the only time that any of us has under our control. Yesterday is history, it can’t be undone. Tomorrow is the future, yet to be achieved. That leaves us with today and today alone. The enemy, Satan is a mastermind of deceitfulness. One who paints great illusions for us to believe, and we want to believe it. We want to take credit and say it’s our own creation. It’s easy to fall into the trap of complacency, delaying our action until some future point in time. A point we assume we can arrive upon. Remember Satan is a thief, in this case playing con man to rob us of opportunity.

Everyday we encounter many that would benefit from a simple act. That is, the act of kindness known as encouragement. Those who just might cling to some form of hope, with nothing more than a simple good word. Instead we look inward, not noticing, not caring, not thinking of the others, or maybe saying… it’s not my problem. Have we developed into a class structure, an “us against them” society? Indeed we have. Like the passage says, hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. Satan has traded today’s opportunity for borrowed time. It’s time that neither he nor anybody else can really deliver. You see, time is only in God’s hands, He alone has the control. I say again, Satan is a thief, he has no time to trade… it’s a con. Legally, it’s theft by deception.

There are a few things that are for certain, one being this. God knows Satan, and Satan knows God. We, on the other hand, don’t know much of nothing. God is ever making an effort to guide us and keep us safe, because we don’t know better; while Satan is ever fooling us. That’s why we have “The Book”, and are instructed to meditate on it day and night. We may not know better, but we can learn. By the way, it seems that this day and night thing sounds familiar. I remember now, it forms a day. That’s a day from God. It’s a gift of time, an opportunity. So while we have this day, so long as it’s called “Today”, let us all encourage one another.

Psalm 118:24 (NIV)
This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You're Blessed To Be A Blessing,
Matt.