Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13, ESV)

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Our current home has a long, paved driveway. My kids love to be outside on anything with wheels. As a parent, I love that I can set them loose to wear themselves out and know they’re not bothering anyone else’s property or getting in the way of traffic. As much space as they have to roam, I still had to set boundaries for them when we moved in. I especially remember setting one such boundary for my youngest. There is a thin crack in the pavement a few feet before our driveway meets the street, and this was her boundary. She could go to this line but not over it, lest she would effectively be playing in the street. I remember many afternoons standing at that boundary line encouraging her to turn around and pointing out all the space she had to roam behind her.  

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As most kids do, she would test that boundary. My response was immediate and firm, so she would know I wasn’t messing around. She didn’t know that I only wished to keep her safe. I guided her in her set boundary, so she didn’t hurt herself, as she did not know the risks and danger that lay outside her boundary. As she grew, however, she operated within the freedom of her set border and built trust between us. She let her conviction of doing what she knew was right override the desire she had to venture beyond. In a sense, she let her conviction become her comfort.  

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While I believe it is extremely important to read Scripture as it is, without changing anything, I also love to reword a passage without changing the meaning, so I’m not glossing over the intent because of the veil familiarity can bring. So, for our purposes, today’s Scripture could be read in this way: Be cautious in case your heart leads you astray and you walk away from the one thing that saves you, God. Instead, continually encourage and challenge one another so you don’t become complacent to sin and deceived by your desires.  

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There are two parts to this Scripture that merit discussion. First, Scripture makes it clear that our hearts cannot be trusted. We have sinful desires, and those desires might feel good or even right; yet, they are leading us away from God. God gives clear boundaries in His Word. He’s not a killjoy; He simply brought you into this world and knows how you will best thrive. The boundaries given provide great freedom within. If you put yourself in my toddler’s shoes, and God in the place of a parent, it is clear He knows more than we do. It just makes sense to trust Him more than our hearts. Sometimes we must realign our desires with what God says; then, the freedom within boundaries He provides feels plentiful.  

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The second part to this Scripture that merits discussion is the command to exhort one another. First, this insinuates that we don’t do life alone; the word exhort implies that others are involved. I knew the meaning of exhort but looked it up to gain further understanding. While the word “encourage” is a synonym, other words paint a sharper picture of the kind of friends we should have and the friend we should be. Words like urge, press, push, insist, pressure, spur, goad, and prod are synonyms. These all have a weight of urgency and persistence. This isn’t just, “God’s Word says…you should probably listen.” This is a friend who knows you well, calling you out boldly and saying, “STOP! This isn’t for you!” Do you have that friend? Are you that kind of friend?  

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I have heard it said that the road to Hell is wide and nicely paved, but God sets up roadblock after roadblock in order that we may turn back and not continue that path. Roadblocks can be Scripture, a well-timed sermon in which you’re convicted when confronted with truth, or a Godly friend calling you out to name a few. It may even be watching others further along the same path, and you realize their consequences are not worth their perceived freedom from boundaries. God calls to us to set our eyes on Jesus. When He becomes the desire of our heart, all else will fade.  

Where are your eyes? Are they fixed on your boundaries, wishing you could push the lines a bit?  Are they fixed on Jesus? Ask God to show you where your heart tends to wander. Ask Him to show you where your heart has deceived you.

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In the hymn, “Come Thou Fount,” there’s a line that says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love; here’s my heart, Lord, take and seal it; seal it for Thy courts above.” Lord, let that be our prayer today. Show us our propensity to wander and seal our hearts to be yours and not desire to wander. Amen.