Have you ever seen this sign?
It’s in the middle of the summer here now, so I don’t worry about frozen bridges. In Tennessee, if a bridge freezes over in June, something is really wrong. These warning signs are posted right before many of the bridges between my home and Nashville, and I pass them without a second thought.
As I was thinking about that, I realized that my lack of observation when times are non-threatening could lead to my downfall when the weather worsens. When the snow and ice come, I’m so in the habit of blowing past the warning signs that I forget that the bridge may be icy. The warning signs haven’t changed, it’s just that they’re a little more applicable when it’s cold and wet outside.
I was also thinking that, even if I noticed the signs for the first time in the middle of inclement weather, it would be too late. The signs are posted immediately before the bridge. If I’m blazing down the interstate at 70 mph and notice a sign warning me that the bridge that’s 20 feet ahead may be frozen, it’s too late to slow down. It would be more helpful if the sign were posted a mile earlier so that I could heed their warning.
Though the writer of Hebrews may have never seen a frozen bridge, he understood the value of warning signs. He writes about the danger of being “hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13) What that means is that there is the real danger that I could become immune to the sin that lies in my heart because I have deceived myself into thinking that it’s not that bad. Sin is so deceitful that we find ourselves justifying “little” sins until we become hardened in our hearts. Sin’s deceitful pleasure and satisfaction are quickly fleeting, and whereas we once were disgusted by it, we begin to revel in it. We no longer repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. We are content doing nothing about it. You may have been once bothered by your lack of closeness to God, but sin hardens your heart to the point that you’re okay with maintaining your distance. You’re satisfied with not purging yourself and seeking the face of God. You stop desiring the things of God and find yourself in a spiritual rut.
So how to we keep from being led away by sin’s deceitfulness? “Exhort one another every day.” (Hebrews 3:13) We must be in the habit of encouraging one another to follow Christ more faithfully, and must surround ourselves with others who do the same for us. Friends who hold us accountable to live a life that honors Christ (2 Corinthians 5:9) serve as warning signs. This verse doesn’t say that we should just exhort one another when we’re in a spiritual rut. It also doesn’t say that we should just exhort one another when we see our brother sinning. It says that we should exhort every day! Even when life is cruising along with no seeming difficulties, we need to be exhorted. Exhortation keeps us from being hardened by sin.
When it’s the middle of the summer and there’s no chance of ice, the sign still warns of impending danger. Will I learn from it? Or will I, day after day, pass it by without a second thought? Spiritually, will I surround myself with people who will speak truth into my life? When they do, will I heed their warnings? Or will I allow myself to be hardened by sin and led away by its deceitfulness?
Dangerous times are coming. Are you ready for them?
