OH WOW OH WOW! What a great chapter!!! Some verses that are my favorites are here:
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.
14 So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. 15 This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. 16 So
let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will
receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it
most.
But one thing I hadn't noticed before are the verses talking about rest. I've struggled with fatigue over the past year or so, though thankfully I'm doing better. But I love the idea of entering into God's rest.
9 So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10 For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. 11 So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall.
Such good words!
Hebrews 4
ReplyDelete1a God’s promise that we may enter His place of rest still stands.
2-3 We have heard the same Good News that your ancestors heard. But the message didn’t help those who heard it in the past because they didn’t believe. We who believe are entering that place of rest.
12-13 God’s word is living and active. It is sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts as deep as the place where soul and spirit meet, the place where joints and marrow meet. God’s word judges a person’s thoughts and intentions. No creature can hide from God. Everything is uncovered and exposed for Him to see. We must answer to Him.
Christ Is Superior to Other Chief Priests
14-16 We need to hold on to our declaration of faith: We have a superior chief priest who has gone through the heavens. That person is Jesus, the Son of God. We have a chief priest who is able to sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way that we are, but He didn’t sin. So we can go confidently to the throne of God’s kindness to receive mercy and find kindness, which will help us at the right time.
Last week I was trying to hunt up some verses on rest--and here's a whole chapter! Yay, perfect. =) And what a wonderful chapter it is!
ReplyDelete"7 So God set another time for entering his rest, and that time is today. God announced this through David much later in the words already quoted:
ReplyDelete“Today when you hear his voice,
don’t harden your hearts.”[e]"
That time is today and it is always today. :-)