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Hebrews 6:18-20
God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.
New International Version (NIV)
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Hope seems slippery these days. How do we hold on to hope as the days turn into weeks turn into months? We are not the first generation of Christians to deal with a pandemic. It turns out that being a Christian does not give us an exemption card from suffering. Discount all preaching to the contrary. What is our theology of suffering? Do we believe Christians never suffer? Do we blame others or ourselves? Or do we hold on to hope?
In the first century there were impostors in the church. They knew the truth but did not live it. But the writer of Hebrews believes better things about the Christians to whom he writes. God has not forgotten their labor of love for his kingdom. So he calls them to diligence and patience in a world of suffering. Like Abraham who almost waited a lifetime for God’s word to come true, even today, the patient ones ultimately receive the fulfillment of God’s promises. All of this proves that God never lies.
Hope helps us hold on. This hope is not a possibility, nor a probability, but a certainty. Hope is not a vague wish, but a confident expectation. So we who left the life of sin to take hold of hope experience God’s encouragement, even in difficult times. Hope holds when everything around us is coming loose. Hope is an anchor for our souls.
In Corpus Christi, I once saw the anchor of the U.S.S. Lexington. It weighs several tons. Such an anchor could hold a ship in the fiercest storm. Hope is an even better anchor than that one. Hope gets all the way to God and rests securely in the presence of the one who never fails. Hold on to him and know this: even when our grip begins to slip, he is holding on to us. One of my favorite songs in this time has been, “He will hold me fast, for my Savior loves me so. And he will hold me fast!”
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Pray with me the words of Lamentations 3:21-26:
Father, we call this to mind and therefore we have hope. Because of your great love we are not consumed. Your mercies never fail. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. So we say to ourselves, “the Lord is our portion,” therefore we will wait for you. You are good to those who hope in you, to those who seek you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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Join us in memorizing the Word. Scripture for this week:
Matthew 6:16-18
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
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| Our 2020 Every Day with Jesus readings will follow the Foundations New Testament reading plan. Copies of the reading plan are available at Tallowood Baptist Church, or download your copy at REPLICATE.ORG
We would love for you to join us as we read the New Testament through this year, five chapters a week. In addition I will continue my long-standing practice of reading one Psalm a day through the year. Use Robby Gallaty’s H. E. A. R. plan to study each chapter (also found at REPLICATE.ORG). Highlight verses which speak to you, explain what they mean in your own words in a journal, apply them to your own life, then respond by doing what God tells you to do.
Joyfully,
Duane
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