Thursday, July 9, 2026

Opening Scripture

His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. Ephesians 3:10-12

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for rest and the promise of a new day. I praise You for Your loving kindness, Your thoughtful provision, and Your comforting presence. Help my hope and security be in You today, not in what I do, what I have, or what others think. May Your Spirit guide me in the way I should go. Help me to appreciate Your blessings and see You at work around me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Hebrews 4:14-16

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Reflection  

In the NIV, the writer of Hebrews opens Chapter 4 with the warning, “let us be careful that none of you be found to have fallen short” of God’s eternal rest. The Greek word is “phobēthōmen,” which literally means “we should fear.” The RSV accurately translates this phrase, “let us fear lest any of you be judged to have failed to reach it.”

In today’s passage, the writer tells his listeners to “approach God’s throne of grace with confidence.” The Greek word “parrēsia” describes the freedom to speak, act, and approach without fear, whether before people or before God. This confidence is a gift of grace rooted in Christ’s atoning sacrifice and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Throughout this letter, the writer admonishes us to take seriously and “fear” the tragedy of “hardening our hearts” and falling away from the faith. He now stresses the much better option of holding firmly to our faith and enjoying God’s blessing with assurance.

In his book, Persistence in Gratitude, David DeSilva says, “Aristotle’s observation that confidence and fear are opposite emotions takes one to an important component of the author’s strategy. The author has presented two possibilities for the way the audience will encounter God. They may have the Son as mediator and helper along the way to attaining the promised benefactions, or they may have God as judge and executioner, excluding the faithless from the promised benefactions.

“The way the author is laying out the options for the audience, the decision to remain firmly committed to one another and to God is the path that will make them feel confident, while leaving the group, undervaluing the gifts and promises mediated through Jesus, and thus displaying ingratitude toward their benefactor is the path that will make them feel afraid.”

The writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus is our “great high priest who has ascended into heaven.” Obviously, that title meant more to the original listeners than it does to most of us. The role of high priest was foundational to the collective identity and religious practice of the Jewish people. However, we can appreciate the significance of the “priestly function” of mediating between God and man.

As prescribed in Leviticus 16, once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would offer a blood sacrifice for the sins of all the Israelites. “On this day atonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the LORD, you will be clean from all your sins.”

Unlike sacrifices under the Old Covenant, Jesus’ sacrifice, which established the New Covenant, is sufficient for the “sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2). As the writer will tell us in Hebrews 7:27, “Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself.”

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

Let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.

The Greek word “apostasia” means “departure” or “defection.” The English word “apostasy” refers to the abandonment of one’s religion, party, or principles.

While “apostasy” implies a deliberate “turning away,” it can certainly result from simple apathy or neglect. Apostasy may involve an angry denouncement of previously held commitments or the enthusiastic embracing of an alternative set of beliefs. It may also lead to the eventual outcome of indifference.

As previously noted, the overarching “themes” of Hebrews are the supremacy of Jesus the Messiah and the need to resist falling away from the faith. “We must pay the most careful attention to what we have heard so that we do not drift away.”

In the previous chapter, the writer offers an effective prevention for drifting away. “See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness” (Hebrews 3:12-13).

Encourage one another daily. This exhortation highlights the importance of being part of the Church, relationally connected to other believers in mutual support.

Remember that in Chapter 10 of Hebrews, the writer admonishes his listeners to draw near to God, hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, consider how we may spur one another on to love and good deeds, not give up meeting together, and encourage one another. We do that in community!

How are you being encouraged to hold firmly to the faith you profess?

How are you encouraging others to hold firmly to the faith?

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!