Today’s Scripture: Hebrews 3:12-13

Pages 1002 in our guest Bibles.

KNOW YOURSELF“

”

Why it is that of all the billions and

billions of strange objects in the

cosmos—novas, quasars, pulsars,

black holes—YOU are beyond

doubt the strangest?

“We knowersare unknown

to ourselves...”Friedrich Nietzsche

German Philosopher

God cannot give us peace and

happiness APART from Himself

because there is NO such thing.

~ CS LewisMere Christianity

“ENCOURAGEONE ANOTHER”

Hebrews 3:12-13

Looking out for One Another

Take care, brothers, lest there be in

Hebrews 3:12

in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God....

“Above all elseGUARD your HEART,

for it is the wellspring of life.”

~ Proverbs 4:23, NIV

SINFUL HEART

UNBELIEVING HEART

TURNING AWAY HEART

HARDENED HEART

But exhort one another every day,

Hebrews 3:13

as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened bythe deceitfulness of sin.

“The heart is DECEITFUL

above all things....”~ Jeremiah 17:9

But exhort one another every day,

Hebrews 3:13

as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened bythe deceitfulness of sin.

We desperately need the intentional encouragement

of one anotherto run the race well.

Answerthe question:

BeSUSPICIOUS

of YOURSELF

1

“The seeds of every known sin

lay dormant in our hearts.”~ Robert Murray McCheyne

(1813-1843)

“We would all like to think that no one knows

our hearts better than we do. We would like to

believe that others may be self-deceived, but we are not. It’s simply not true. Since sin is in its essence deceptive, as long as sin lives in our

hearts, we will tend to be blind to the true condition

of our hearts.

Paul TrippInstruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

“But more must be said. Not only will we be blind

to our hearts, but we will be blind to our

blindness, thinking we see when we really

don’t.”

Paul TrippInstruments in the Redeemer’s Hands

2

Live close to Jesus

ANDHis people

3

Pursue & invite accountability

“I like the idea of accountability--

in the lives ofother people.”

“...personal insight is the product of

community. I need you in order to

really see and know myself. Otherwise, I will listen to my own arguments, believe my own lies, and buy into my own

delusions...”

“My self-perception is as accurate as a

carnival mirror. If I am going to see myself clearly, I

need you to hold the mirror of God’s

Word in front of me.”

Are you regularly informing others of your tempta-

tions and sins, or do you present to them a carefully

edited and flattering version

of yourself?

“The CreamCheese Story”

rubyblossom: http://www.flickr.com/photos/16215823@N06/6085939488/

JD Hancock: http://www.flickr.com/photos/83346641@N00/6023780563/

flickr images courtesy of:

other:

photos.com: Darran Barton / 147266096