The Lost Art of Exhortation

“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” (Hebrews 3:13).

Sitting
over a cup of coffee at one time or another, almost every woman has been called
upon to listen to someone else tell their troubles. As Christians, what does
God expect of us in these times? Certainly, we ought to be good listeners and
be able to keep a secret where warranted. Both of these are good qualities—but
are we not required to do more?

Even
in a Bible study, it is not uncommon to find people sharing their difficulties
and feeling refreshed for having done so. However, talking about our problems brings
only temporary relief. In order for us to take an effective step forward, the
Word of God must be brought to bear on the particular problem or temptation and
prayer made for God’s help in meeting the problem in His way. But who is to
exhort in this fashion?

Exhortation
seems to be a rare art among Christians. By definition, to exhort is to encourage
by words of advice or to warn earnestly. We have plenty of people
who are willing to offer advice or criticism, but few who exhort.

Here
we become reluctant or even antagonistic to the thought. “After all, who am I
to tell anyone what to do?” There are probably several reasons for this, but a
common one is that with some of our own problems still unsolved we do not feel
sufficiently able to offer advice to others.

My
husband once gave me some invaluable help along this line. I was saying I felt
like a hypocrite counseling others, for I feared I was creating the impression
of greater attainment on my part than was true.

He
reminded me that I was not to counsel so much from my own experience as from the
Word of God. This came as a relief to me. It not only means that the
counselor and her friend look up together to a standard set by the Lord in His
Word, but also the element of superiority found in the “Look at me” sort of
advice is eliminated. The counselor need not say anything about her own
experience unless she can add, to the glory of God, that such and such an
approach worked in her case. But we are obliged to exhort from the Scriptures
the path of obedience the believer is to take. It is amazing how many of the
complex situations of present-day living are outlined, with their solutions, in
the Bible.

In
the context of Hebrews 3:13, we find that the chief need for faithful
exhortation is that we might help one another avoid “an evil, unbelieving
heart.” We are urged not to be like the Israelites in the wilderness, who in
their various difficulties failed to believe in the Lord’s promise of
deliverance. Their disbelief was fatal. Let us help each other avoid the
sorrows of disbelief.

It
takes faith to attack the problems of our lives with the promises and
principles of the Scripture. Let us also exercise faith when we exhort others,
believing that, as the conditions set by our Lord in His Word are met, problems
presently insurmountable will be solved to the relief of the Christian and the
glory of our Savior. 

This post is an excerpt from Dealing with a Critical Spirit by Bessie Wilson, available at cccmbooks.org/bookstore.