7 So, as the Holy Spirit says:

“Today, if you hear his voice,
8     do not harden your hearts
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
9 where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ ”

12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. 

If we are going to keep going into God’s tomorrow, ”Today” matters. Each day matters. What we do ”daily” matters.

It is clear from this passage, which draws from Israel’s negative example in the wilderness, that we must persevere to the end if we are to be saved. This perseverance is the fruit of salvation: it is how it manifests, not how we earn it.

Note some vital keys to help us keep going:

  • Obey what God says to you ”Today”. Cultivate a soft, sensitive disposition to God and His Word. Be quick to respond (7,8). ‘An evil heart of unbelief (v.12) will rob you of what God has planned for you in your Christian life, so pay attention to God’s Word.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.
  • Guard your heart (10,12). The heart of the human problem is the problem of the human heart. ‘People with hard hearts know the truth but resist it and refuse to obey it…They think they can sin and get away with it. The first step toward a hard heart is neglect of the Word of God (Heb.2:4), not taking it seriously.’ Warren W. Wiersbe.
  • Daily encouragement (15). Who might you encourage this day? Who needs your encouragement to keep going? The ministry of encouragement is one open to us all.