Holding Fast When I Feel Like Letting Go (Hebrews 10)

Evening Scripture

Hebrews, Chapter 10
The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. Otherwise, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said:
“Sacrifice and offering you did not desire,
but a body you prepared for me;
with burnt offerings and sin offerings
you were not pleased.
Then I said, ‘Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll—
I have come to do your will, my God.’”

First he said, “Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them”—though they were offered in accordance with the law. Then he said, “Here I am, I have come to do your will.” He sets aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says:
“This is the covenant I will make with them
after that time, says the Lord.
I will put my laws in their hearts,
and I will write them on their minds.”

Then he adds:
“Their sins and lawless acts
I will remember no more.”

And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.” It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you endured in a great conflict full of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For,
“In just a little while,
he who is coming will come
and will not delay.”

And,
“But my righteous one will live by faith.
And I take no pleasure
in the one who shrinks back.”

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Evening Reflection

Some nights, we come to bed with a sense of satisfaction as we reflect on a day gone well. Other times, the pressure and concerns we carried, and perhaps must continue to shoulder in the morning, leave us with weary hearts. In those seasons, it can feel challenging to keep moving forward, let alone hold tight to our faith. Thankfully, there is One with a stronger, steadier hand maintaining a firm grip on us.

This means we’re never bearing the weight of our souls, or lives for that matter, on our own. Jesus, the One who is greater, stronger, always present, and eternally faithful, carries us close to His heart, fortifying our bruised and troubled souls with His grace. His grace promises us that the best is yet to come. Every sunset and sunrise, shimmering star, joyful conversation, and birdsong is but a shadow of what awaits us on the day when our Savior shields us from all sorrow, sickness, and sin. Therefore, we fix our eyes on the One who died for us and goes before us, knowing we can trust His every promise, His every word.

Evening Prayer

Father, I long for a tangible experience of Your presence and a fresh word of Your love, for that is how I receive Your strength. As Jesus so clearly stated, when I remain connected to Him, I can do all things, including persevere through any challenge You have allowed on my path. I know, when You do, You always have a good reason, for You are good and always and only do what is good. I choose to trust that now. You never abandon Your children, and You won’t forsake me now.
What a blessing that I can always turn to You in my anxiety, disappointment, fatigue, and sorrow. You are the God of compassion who knows me fully and loves me without hesitation. You recognize that I am formed from dust, human, and prone to weakness. You don’t condemn me for this or shame me when I feel discouraged, frustrated, or defeated. Instead, You invite me closer and surround me with Your loving embrace. That is where I gain the strength to hold tight to the One who is, at this present moment, maintaining His grip upon me.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

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