THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TODAY

Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly received the good news failed to enter because of disobedience, again [God] appoints a certain day, “Today,” saying through David so long afterward, in the words already quoted, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:6-7).

You might ask, “How can I recognize the difference between working my way in and believing my way in?” Here’s how you know the difference. If you are entertaining the idea that, for some reason or another, you cannot enter into the fullness of God today, then you are trying to get there the wrong way.
If you think that you don’t know enough, that you are not spiritual enough, or that you  still struggle with sin way too much, you are going about this the wrong way. Living like this will keep you from being all that God wants for you.
The writer of Hebrews did not say, “Be good for 40 years, and then God will bless you. Work hard for 40 years, and then God will reward you. Sacrifice everything you have for 40 years, and then God will give you peace and joy and contentment.” No, he said that you can enter into God’s rest today.
You may say, “But I’m not worthy.” However, God says, “Your worthiness is not a prerequisite.” You may say, “But I’m not holy.” God says, “Your holiness is not a prerequisite.” The only prerequisite is a willingness to believe the promises of God, and a willing to receive the promises of God.

What does it mean to “harden your heart”? It means that you are no longer willing to listen to what God is saying to you. It means that you are trying to come to God on your terms. It’s when you say, “No, God, I will not accept your grace; I want to work for everything I get, so I’ll get credit where credit is due.” Or it’s when you say, “Seeking a place of rest in the presence of God will require me to yield myself completely to him. It will require me to seek the face of Jesus, to seek the heart of God, to seek the unity of the Spirit with my brothers and sisters in Christ — and I’m not ready to surrender myself in that way.”
God is saying, “Today is the day.” You don’t have to run any further. You don’t have to resist any longer. You can find rest in God, and you can find it today. You can experience life in the Promised Land, in a spiritual sense, where you live in the abundance of God’s promises. And you can do it today. You don’t have to wait. You don’t have to climb a spiritual ladder. You don’t have to clean yourself up. He has taken care of all that for you. All you have to do is say “yes” to Him today — and you’re there.

Because of Jesus,

Ken Schroeder