Scripture for Today:  Hebrews 3:13  “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.”

We are having a terrible time with ice in our area.  It is making driving hazardous up the incline to our house.  The other day we got stuck, spinning our wheels in it.  Our neighbor very kindly helped us push the car.  Even walking is difficult.  We feel like we are ice skating!  Walking under the icicles can be lethal!

The snow is beautiful but the ice can be a killer.  The temperatures start to warm up and the surface begins to melt.  Then the temperatures drop and everything becomes hard and slippery.  Many meetings and events have been cancelled because of it.

Our verse for today is a warning.  The deceitfulness of sin can harden a heart.  The longer one denies wrong doing, the more difficult it is to hear His still small voice of conviction.  The more one indulges in a sinful behavior, the more likely it is that the heart becomes hardened and deceived.

When I listen to Him my heart is soft and open, like fresh powdery snow.  When I ignore His conviction, what was soft and melted becomes hard and defensive.  When I rationalize what I am doing, I deceive myself.  Sometimes I am not even aware of what I am doing, until the hardness of my heart makes me slip and fall!

There is an urgency in this verse.  Hardened hearts do not improve with time.  They only become harder.  Today is the day I need encouragement to obey.  Today is the day I need to encourage others to obey.  Lord, do not let me ever be hardened towards You.