Today’s Reading: Hebrews 6:3-20
There is no reason to turn away from God or lose hope in His promises. We can trust that what God promises is true and what He promises He will do. God promises He will condemn those who turn away from Him and who reject the Son of God, but He also promises eternity to those who hold on to their faith and show endurance in all situations. You can be certain that what you hope for will come true when you fully put your trust in God!
For it is impossible to bring back to repentance those who were once enlightened – those who have experienced the good things of heaven and shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the power of the age to come – and who then turn away from God. It is impossible to bring such people back to repentance; by rejecting the Son of God, they themselves are nailing him to the cross once again and holding him up to public shame. – Hebrews 6:4-6
These verses are painful to read. Our first response is to grieve any pain we have ever caused Jesus by wavering in our obedience. When we look back at times in our lives where we chose to do our own thing, when we walked away from the life we knew God had planned for us, we regret the choice we made. Even if we did not intend to hurt the One who had already died for our sins, we must face the fact that we are rejecting the gift of salvation when we refuse to surrender to His Lordship.
When the ground soaks up the falling rain and bears a good crop for the farmer, it has God’s blessing. But if a field bears thorns and thistles, it is useless. The farmer will soon condemn that field and burn it. – Hebrews 6:7-8
God created us to produce fruit. Just like the rest of creation, we are seed-bearing and created for multiplication. God wants to take the good work He started in us and use it to grow something wonderful in those around us. But just as we recognize the positive influence our surrender to Christ can have on others, we must acknowledge the negative impact our selfish choices can have on the salvation of others.
BUT YOU WERE MEANT FOR BETTER THINGS!
Dear friends, even though we are talking this way, we really don’t believe it applies to you. We are confident that you are meant for better things, things that come with salvation. For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, AS YOU STILL DO. Our great desire is that you will KEEP ON loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. THEN you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance. – Hebrews 6:9-12
When you start a relationship with Jesus and then continue to live out your love for Him in the way you love others, God will not forget your faithfulness. He is calling you to “still” live for Him — to keep on loving others as long as life lasts. When we stay connected to the vine, we continue to grow, bearing fruit for the Lord.
Hebrews gives us the example of the life of Abraham. God promised Abraham, “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number” (6:14). Abraham believed in God’s faithfulness and patiently waited for God to do as He had promised. Just like Abraham, we can be perfectly sure that God will not change His mind about the eternal reward He has promised, because it is impossible for God to lie (6:17-18).
The angel told Mary that she would give birth to the Son of God even though she was a virgin and she believed. The angel told her that nothing was impossible for God and she believed. The angel told her that Elizabeth was pregnant and she rushed over to her house in faith that what the angel said was true. Mary believed that the Lord would do what He said He would do, and we can have this same confidence.
Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. – Hebrews 6:18b-20
Jesus is our High Priest. That sounds like a great place to start tomorrow morning!