December 11 - Hebrews 1-6
Even though we did not read the entire letter of Hebrews in one sitting, we read enough so that we could discern the theme of the letter. What do you think the theme is? I believe the Lord is trying to say to all Christians, not just Hebrew Christians, that we must not drift away from Him after coming to know Christ. (2:1) I personally do not think He is speaking about losing salvation. I believe He is warning us about having a miserable and ineffective Christian life. That is not as bad as being lost, but in some ways it is more miserable, and it is definitely very destructive. Have you drifted from the Lord? Is your relationship with the Lord better or worse today, than it was when you came to Christ? The reality is that we are either growing closer to Him or we are drifting away, but there is no way to stay the same for a period of time. Relationships take constant attention to maintain. The only truly satisfying relationship is a growing relationship. This applies to the Lord and to our human relationships.
Hebrews tells us that Jesus is Lord. He came to die in our place. (2:9) He cared for us, so He took on human flesh and became our brother, so He could defeat Satan for us. (2:11,14) We owe Him all of our love and all of our trust. If we are half hearted in our commitment, He can't continue to bless us. (3:6) We must help each other see this. (3:13) The goal of the Christian life should be to completely trust Jesus, instead of trusting ourselves. When we get saved, we trust Him for our eternal salvation. Then, we need to learn to rest in Him for everything in life. That is the state of rest spoken of in chapter 4. However, we miss that rest, because of our unbelief. (3:19) Unbelief means lack of faith or lack of trust. He uses Israel as an example. They did not enter the Promised land where they could have had rest, because they failed to trust God's power and direction. We can fail in the same way.
Jesus paid it all for us. (5:9) He is ready to help us with any need or temptation. (4:14-16) We miss out on so much when we fail to grow in our knowledge of Him and our trust in Him. He wants us to go on to maturity. (6:1) He does not want us to fall away, because if we do, we were not saved in the first place. The saved will not fall away, but they can drift away and become lazy. (6:12) When that happens there is no fruit, and there is no rest. The Christian is miserable and defeated, because he or she knows there is something wrong. It comes from a lack of growing in Christ. It comes from drifting away. It is a lack of trust. Being saved is not just trusting Jesus to forgive our sins. It is trusting Jesus as Lord. That trust should last forever. When you cease to trust, you are in danger of doing anything because Satan can have his way with you. That is what I believe God is saying to us through this letter. Read it, and let it sink in. Ask yourself the hard questions about your trust in Christ each day. If you go a day without reading God's word, are you trusting Him or yourself? If you do not pray without ceasing, are you not trusting yourself, instead of Jesus? When you fail God and fall into sin, is it not a failure to trust Him to provide the victory for you? You have to ask yourself these questions and many others to ensure you are staying close and resting in the Lord each day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Hebrews 7-10.
Hebrews tells us that Jesus is Lord. He came to die in our place. (2:9) He cared for us, so He took on human flesh and became our brother, so He could defeat Satan for us. (2:11,14) We owe Him all of our love and all of our trust. If we are half hearted in our commitment, He can't continue to bless us. (3:6) We must help each other see this. (3:13) The goal of the Christian life should be to completely trust Jesus, instead of trusting ourselves. When we get saved, we trust Him for our eternal salvation. Then, we need to learn to rest in Him for everything in life. That is the state of rest spoken of in chapter 4. However, we miss that rest, because of our unbelief. (3:19) Unbelief means lack of faith or lack of trust. He uses Israel as an example. They did not enter the Promised land where they could have had rest, because they failed to trust God's power and direction. We can fail in the same way.
Jesus paid it all for us. (5:9) He is ready to help us with any need or temptation. (4:14-16) We miss out on so much when we fail to grow in our knowledge of Him and our trust in Him. He wants us to go on to maturity. (6:1) He does not want us to fall away, because if we do, we were not saved in the first place. The saved will not fall away, but they can drift away and become lazy. (6:12) When that happens there is no fruit, and there is no rest. The Christian is miserable and defeated, because he or she knows there is something wrong. It comes from a lack of growing in Christ. It comes from drifting away. It is a lack of trust. Being saved is not just trusting Jesus to forgive our sins. It is trusting Jesus as Lord. That trust should last forever. When you cease to trust, you are in danger of doing anything because Satan can have his way with you. That is what I believe God is saying to us through this letter. Read it, and let it sink in. Ask yourself the hard questions about your trust in Christ each day. If you go a day without reading God's word, are you trusting Him or yourself? If you do not pray without ceasing, are you not trusting yourself, instead of Jesus? When you fail God and fall into sin, is it not a failure to trust Him to provide the victory for you? You have to ask yourself these questions and many others to ensure you are staying close and resting in the Lord each day.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Hebrews 7-10.