Hebrews 3:15 “ . . . Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts, as when they provoked me.” (NASB)

“This too shall pass!” I can still hear my grandmother speaking this phrase. She meant it in terms of difficult things and times. But the phrase rings true for everything in this life. Each day holds twenty-four hours; every week seven days; and each year twelve months. The seconds steadily tick away as if to emphasize the truth: “This too shall pass.”

This has been a special holiday for some and a difficult one for others. We have had the joy of hosting all of our family at one time. This doesn’t happen as regularly as it once did now that four of the five are married. But this week we have spent many pleasant hours eating, talking, playing games, and loving on one another. I have clung to every moment knowing full well that the special time is brief. This too shall pass!

Others have spent the first holiday without a loved one nearby. Family hasn’t made it home this year or a special friend has gone to their final home in heaven. The sadness sits heavy on the heart and mind. But even this debilitating sadness will pass as time marches on.

Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that things change and the sun sets on moments that never can be recaptured. This is why we must make the most of the opportunities we have. The final days of the year are upon us, so it is a good thing to take inventory of all we have been given. 

The writer to the Hebrews understood the brevity of life. He encouraged his readers not to fall away from God, but to encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today’ so that none of them would be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

He reminded them of the children of Israel, who, having been brought out of Egypt, hardened their hearts and chose not to trust God. Instead they provoked Him and in so doing lost the opportunity to enter the Promised Land of rest. 

This unfortunate outcome is an example for us today. God is calling each person to respond to His gift of salvation in faith. It is not something we should put off until tomorrow because the window of opportunity will someday close. 

So as the countdown of the final days of 2023 continues, consider the warning in Hebrews: “Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” 

Now is the day of salvation! But this, too, shall pass!