Hold Fast to Hope
Let Us Hold Fast
To Hope
Scripture: Hebrews 10:23-25 (ESV)
23 Let us hold fast
the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider
how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit
of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day
drawing near.
Devotion:
The aim of our devotion for today is
to inspire us to reach out to others and encourage them in their walk with the
Lord. The church today in America is not as on fire for the Lord and it could
and should be. We have allowed many things to depress our fervor for the Lord.
It is past time to shake off the discouragement we have been living under for
so long. We must again seek to reach out to God and seek His encouragement in
our corporate and individual lives. The scripture chosen for today can help us
do just that.
Our first step in gaining enthusiasm
for the Lord is to “hold fast the confession of our hope” meaning we are to confess
before the Lord and the whole world that we are Christ’s children. We have the
hope of eternal life based on what Jesus did on the cross and in his resurrection.
It is only possible for us to do this because Jesus is faithful to give us the
strength witness for him.
The scripture then tells us “consider
how to stir up love and good works in each other”. This is very important. We
must think of every way to stir up in our brothers and sisters in the Lord this
love in action. The important thing to note is that we must have love and good
works stirred up in ourselves because we can not give away that which we do
ourselves possess. So having been stirred up in ourselves we can give away that
love which will inevitably bring forth good works in others. Love and good
works are important because our witness to the world depends on these qualities
being made visible in the lives of believers. A witness to the presence of God
in the world.
Next, Paul warns us not to stop
meeting together for worship and fellowship. This is critical in our Covid-19
situation. Where we were required to be apart for a time and worship, if it
happened at all, was done via the internet. While this sufficed for the time of
immediate threat from the virus, it is now past time for us to assemble as a
worshiping body for our mutual benefit and our sanctification in the Lord.
Finally, we are to be encouraging
one another. Our encouragement is to be strong and urgent as we see the “Day”
drawing near. It is true that for the Lord “one day is as a thousand years” however,
each day brings Christ’s return one day closer and we should rejoice and encourage
one another with that reality.
Prayer:
Holy God you are mighty and awe
inspiring. We seek to worship you today as your faithful sons and daughters. Where
we have sinned forgive us. Where we have been discouraged be present with us to
encourage us. Where we have been fearful and faithless give us courage by the
power of the Holy Spirit to be your bold and faithful servants. In all we do
may we seek first your kingdom and your righteousness that we may be your
servants in and to the world. Amen.
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