Scripture: Hebrews 3:13 – “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (NRSVue)
Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots used to have a saying, “No Days Off.” The idea was that the Patriots achieved victory because they were focused on the goal of winning every day.
In the world of athletics and business, there is a certain limitation to this idea. Your body cannot work at its highest level all the time, you need to sleep and take a day here or there to recuperate. The same is true of our jobs. Vacation time is necessary to refresh the brain and allow better work in the future. “No Days Off” also does not work if there is hypocrisy. If a boss forces their employees to work on weekends, but then goes golfing three times a week, it can ring hollow.
We need days off to refresh our bodies and our minds, but what about our souls? Do they get a day off? In this case, I would argue, “no.” This is because we can hide from work or the gym or our chores, but we cannot hide from God. God is calling us every day, and we need to be ready to answer the call.
The Letter to the Hebrews appealed to Jewish Christians who had a strong knowledge of the Hebrew Bible. The author reminds his readers of the words of Psalm 95, which encourages the congregation to praise and worship God, making “a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!” The psalm contrasts this faith with the Israelites in the wilderness who hardened their hearts against God and demanded proof that God was still with them. The author of Hebrews brings this warning to his own time.
We sometimes feel like God is taking a day off from us. We feel like we are alone with our failing health, our struggling finances, or our imperfect relationships. We may be tempted to ignore the daily call to prayer and to wallow in our grief or our busyness. But every day we forget to focus on God, the easier it is to forget the next day. Before you know it, a day off has become a week, or a year, or a lifetime.
The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us that we are not alone in our struggles with faith. We have friends and other Christians to remind us of what we need to do. The Letter says, “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” We need to keep each other accountable. Because if we tell people to praise God tomorrow, or just some of the time, like say for an hour on Sundays, it is easy for us to deceive ourselves that we are alone in our doubts or that God does not care if we just do what we want. Exhorting each other keeps us honest with God, with ourselves, and with each other.
So, this week I want you to focus on two things. First, take time to praise God and count your blessings every day. Promise God you will be the person you are called to be. Second, tell your friends and family to do the same thing. We all need reminders from time to time. When we work out our faith as a team, you would be surprised at the victories we can win together.
Prayer: God, help me think first of you every day. Amen.
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