Hebrews 10:22-24 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
In these verses we are encouraged to practice four things to grow in our relationship with Jesus. Let’s look closer at them.
The first thing we are encouraged to do is to draw near to Jesus. To be in continual contact with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Jesus promises to be with us always. We need to take advantage of His promise and build our lives with Him at the center.
Second, we are exhorted to hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering. Building up and strengthening the foundation of our faith to stand fast when stormy days come, and they will come, is an essential part of our life as a Believer. Having a strong foundation will help us to stand firm and not be moved or shaken in our faith.
Third, we are told to consider, or motivate one another to stir up love and good works. We are our brother’s keeper. Having other believers in our lives that we can transparently confide in, to pray with, and to even hold us accountable at times is very important to staying on the right path. We have the privilege and opportunity to love others and to be loved by them as well.
Fourth, we need to gather together in fellowship. Especially, as the Day of our Lord Jesus is fast approaching. It is the isolated sheep that falls prey to the wolf. There is something about being together with other believers that is strengthening to our faith, to know that we are not alone in this, that we not only have the support of God, but our fellow Christians as well. It is in fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we receive encouragement to continue moving forward in Jesus. Think about it, for 3 years while Jesus ministered here on earth and taught his disciples, they were in constant fellowship, building each other up. Jesus knew that they were going to need band together to complete the race that they were about to run. He did not want any of them to run alone.
Quite honestly, opening our Bibles once a week in church is not enough maintain our relationship with Jesus. To be able to stand fast in our faith during the storm, to continue doing what is right and good, we need to draw close to Jesus on a daily basis. We need to be in the Word every day, spending time studying the Bible and learning how to walk uprightly as a Christian.
For some of us, this is easy, but for most of us we need a little help. One of the best ways to stay close to Jesus is to gather together with other Christians to study His word. I strongly encourage you to purpose in your heart to invest in your relationship with Jesus and seek out a Bible study during the week to get together with other Christians and dig deep into His Word, to reap the benefits of fellowship.
May God bless you as you seek to know the depth of His love, the riches of His grace and the abundance of His peace in our Lord Jesus, that you will experience God greater that you can even imagine as you walk with Him every day! God Loves You to Infinity and Beyond!
Pastor David
If you would like a little help in your journey following Jesus, consider joining Crosstrainers, a men’s discipleship group that meets on Tuesdays at 7:00 pm, or our mid-week Bible study that is starting the book of Philippians on June 2nd, meeting on Wednesdays at 7:00 pm.
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