The Promise

"For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." "And thus Abraham,having patiently waited, obtained the promise.  "For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. "So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath,  so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek." Hebrews 6:13-20
I am finding much hope in these verses today! They are preceeded by verses about "falling away," which no matter what your understanding of that term is, they are a rather frightening thought. But the point of them, as stated in Hebrews 6:10-12, is that we may press onward and seek to be even more earnest in our faith, that we may be certain on our hope.The passage above compares our hope with that of Abraham's, as we have the same guarantee of our hope. God swore by Himself, though His promise alone would be unchangable, so that Abraham would come to understand WHO GOD IS, and that nothing He says will ever fall to the ground. When God says something, you can be sure that it will come to pass. But God swore by Himself, so that the promise of blessing was doubly-insured by the GREAT I AM, for Whom IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO EVER LIE. What is the result of this truth? Why does it matter?It matters because "we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us.  We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain!" If those words do not fill your soul with a joy that could explode into song...you either need to read them again, or consider your spiritual state. 
We can hold fast to the truths we have been taught, because He who promised is faithful!This Holy Word is 100% true and accurate...GOD SAID SO. Nothing He says ever fails. He is Truth. When He says that whoever believes on Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life, it's true. When He says the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses me from all sin, it's true.When He says that Jesus Christ ascended on high, and is interceding on our behalf, it's true.When He says that Jesus is preparing A PLACE FOR US, where neither moth or rust can decay, and where thieves cannot break in and steal, it's true.When He says that to him who overcomes, he will be given a crown of life, it's true.When He says that in heaven we shall have no sorrow, death, or pain, it's true.When He says that we will be forever at peace and joyful in the presence of our God and Savior, it's True!
We can trust Him, friends! Not only is EVERYTHING HE SAYS TRUTH, but HE IS TRUTH. And when He swears by Himself, well, you can bet your life that it will come to pass!And that's what we're called to do as Christians. Give your life as insurance that every word of God is true, that you are willing to live and die to proclaim the Name of Him who ransomed your life from destruction and in whom YOU HAVE ETERNAL HOPE.
We have this sure and steadfast anchor of the soul.

"And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises." Hebrews 6:11-12

In time of need...

In Hebrews 3 and 4, the author challenges us to persevere and not be disobedient like the "faithless Exodus generation." The reason is because "there is still a rest for the people of God."

A rest. Big sigh of relief! Don't we all need a rest? We all need to be able to cease striving and know that our God is God! 

This rest is both here and now, and eternal. It is a peace, no matter what chaos is going on around us. It is a trust, because we know the One Who is Sovereign over the affairs of men.

Isn't that wonderful that we don't have to keep going and going on our own strength like the world around us? Their motto seems to be "Go until you drop!"

Continuing on in Hebrews 4, verse 11: "Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same example of disobedience [the Israelites in the exodus]. For the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account."

So we are to be faithful, and persevere, unlike the Israelites who grumbled and complained at the first sight of trouble. And not only that, but the Word of God is illumining our hidden intentions and motives. We are completely bare before our God, who sees and knows everything about us. We can't lie to Him and pretend that we are 'okay.' He sees everything, and He is our Judge.

That is a formidable image! The One Who knows EVERY LITTLE THING about me, is the One who will judge my life. I have no chance! He sees the times that it looked like I was persevering, but inside was complaining. He sees the times that it looked like I was being faithful, but was doubting His Word.

But the verses go on..."Seeing then that we have a great High Priest, Who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need!"

Instead of us approaching expecting condemnation from the One who knows we deserve it, we have a great High Priest Who is seated at the right hand of God. He can empathize with our struggles, for He was tempted to sin just as we are, except that He never caved in.  He does not sit far above looking down on us...He came down to us! Became one of us!

And He is the One who speaks for us to the Father. 

Let us therefore come boldly! Let us draw near with confidence! Not only do we not have to fear condemnation, we can receive HELP.  "That we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need." 

This goes back to the beginning: we need help! We need rest!

But we are not alone in this. We have a great High Priest, who is interceding for us, with groanings that cannot be uttered.

"Let us therefore be dilligent"

"Let us hold fast"

"Let us come boldly"

"..that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need." 

"For He who promises is Faithful!"

Living by Grace

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
Life is so NOT ABOUT US! It is by grace (God's unmerited favor) that we are not slaves of sin any longer or bound for an eternity in hell! So often, once we have been saved a while, we stop living by grace. We think we can just do whatever we want, for our own pleasure. We think we can sanctify ourselves. We act as though, "having began in the spirit, we are now being made perfect in the flesh."
Every day is an act of grace. God gives us the grace to breathe. To think. To worship. To praise. To respond with love. To show mercy. To glorify Him despite our sinfulness.
His grace is sufficient.
His mercies are new every morning.
His faithfulness is great.
He will never fail us.
Living by grace is complete dependance on Him to do the things that He destined for me before the creation of the world. I could never do good works on my own; I am incapable of doing or thinking anything good.
BUT BY HIS GRACE I can point others to His goodness and saving grace that changes everything about my life!