The saddest people are the ones who squander away good fortune. This is especially true of those who walk away from God. The author of Hebrews put it this way:

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.

I’ve known a few people over the years who have been hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. These folks move away from the Lord, first in their hearts and then in their actions. Once committed followers of Jesus, the glitter of money or sex or freedom caught their eye, and mind and heart and actions followed. Eventually lives around them shattered, families crumbled and friendships dissolved. No one seems happier than they were before.

How to avoid such a fate? Stay in the mix with fellow believers. Speak truth, seasoned with grace, to one another. Read God’s Word and let it soften your heart. Practice god-pleasing living despite hardship or ridicule. Seek truth, stay connected, stand firm. In other words, keep the faith.

Hebrews 3:12-13

Photo by Luis Santoyo