Good Morning Friends,
“We must pay more careful attention,
therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was
binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how
shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation? This salvation, which was first announced by
the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it
by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit
distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:1-4)
One of the principle themes of the book of
Hebrews is the recognition of the value of what we have and the importance of
holding on to it. That is a theme of
which we need to be frequently reminded.
We are prone to grow complacent and take for granted what God has done
for us.
What we have embraced came to us through
miraculous means. That’s how valuable it
is. God announced it first through His
own Son. Salvation by grace through
faith in Christ had been God’s plan from the beginning. But He kept it hidden until He sent Jesus
into the world. Jesus had the privilege
of revealing it to all mankind. He was
the perfect messenger for the plan, not just announcing it, but living it, and
then paying the price for it.
We have also received the message through the
eyewitnesses who were around Jesus. They
were hand selected by Jesus Himself. He
let them see into His heart by living with them. He let them see the miracles He performed up
close. He let them see the compassion
that He felt toward all people, even those who were outcasts of society. He let them hear His messages and ask
questions so they could understand it better.
And they were faithful to Him, repeating His message through the rest of
their lives and passing it on to us in written form.
And then we come to the miracles through
which God has confirmed the authenticity of the message we have received. Jesus performed miracles, marvelous
demonstrations of power and love. The
apostles did, too. And God continues to
perform miracles in our own day, in direct and obvious answer to our prayers. And one of the greatest miracles is the way
He continues to use men, giving them the abilities they need to serve Him.
All of these things God has done so that the
message might come to us and we might receive it. But receiving it is but the first step. All of these things He has done so that we
will hold on to the message we have received.
Don’t ignore it. Don’t take it for granted. Don’t slip gradually away from it. Grasp it tightly. Appreciate it. Be reminded of it.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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