From: "Phil Rembleski" <PHIl@rescuechurchofchrist.org>

To: "1111RESCUEMEMBERS"

Cc:

Sent: Tue, Jan 16, 2024 at 5:44 AM

Subject: 1-16-24 THOUGHTS

1-16-24   THOUGHTS

Our vision of eternity must be centered in Jesus!  It is a TOGETHER walk  that God designed for us, but we live in a culture that presses us to walk alone.  A certain “technically supported isolation” seems to be the call of the day.  A call back to God’s way is always good.  When I read below, “encourage 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”  I am challenged  by our apparent failure in this area.  The reason for this “given by God” practice is that we would not be “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  The view is a “holding fast to the end!”   It sounds to me like our eternity may be bound up in how we respond to these thoughts?  Our TOGETHERNESS supports our ETERNITY!  It’s God’s DESIGN!  This must begin with me.

Heb 3:1-14   Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession; 2  He was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was in all His house. 3  For He has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, by just so much as the builder of the house has more honor than the house.  4  For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5  Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6  but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house —  whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end. 7  Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says, "TODAY IF YOU HEAR HIS VOICE, 8  DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEARTS AS WHEN THEY PROVOKED ME, AS IN THE DAY OF TRIAL IN THE WILDERNESS, 9  WHERE YOUR FATHERS TRIED Me BY TESTING Me, AND SAW MY WORKS FOR FORTY YEARS. 10  "THEREFORE I WAS ANGRY WITH THIS GENERATION, AND SAID, ‘THEY ALWAYS GO ASTRAY IN THEIR HEART, AND THEY DID NOT KNOW MY WAYS’; 11  AS I SWORE IN MY WRATH, ‘THEY SHALL NOT ENTER MY REST.’" 12  Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil,  unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.  13  But encourage 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. 14  For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance firm until the end,

My Prayer:
Grow our faith, O God.  Draw us to you to abide in Your presence.  Fix our hope to be with You eternally.  May we consider Jesus, and take care of our hearts diligently.  Help us to consider each other for daily encouragement.  Empower our love and fellowship.  Help us to use each other in love as You intend.  Give us a stronger “until the end” understanding.  May we learn “firm” more fully.   Keep us from falling away from You, O God.  Awaken us, Father God.
In the name of Jesus,       Amen.