“Therefore, let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

(Hebrews 4:16)

Confidence, grace, mercy, and help are the key words in this passage.  They are key words in all the book of Hebrews actually.

We should be confident because we have a God we can rely on and a conviction that He loves us.

We have grace because we have the goodwill of our Creator.  His will be done, and His will is good.

We have mercy because God sees our need and looks upon our weakness with compassion and not malice.  Our vulnerability is safe in His hands.

We have help because He extends it to us.  We are not alone in our need, and He seeks to improve our lot if we will trust Him.

So draw near to Jesus.  Draw near to the Redeemer of Souls.  His throne bears hope.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.”

(Hebrews 4:13)

Things can be hidden for many reasons. 

Camouflage Hidden – when we wish to remain invisible for fear we will be exposed.

Miniature Hidden – when we don’t wish to be hidden, but we are too small to be important to others.

Middle Child Hidden – when we are overlooked because others are prominent or require more attention.

Coward Hidden – when we hide from our responsibilities, evade our duties, and procrastinate in hopes that time and distance will cause them to disappear.

Regardless of which type of “hidden” we are – none are hidden from Him.  He sees you.  He knows your name.  You are visible in your quiet service, closeted pain, or your masked façade.

To Him – we are all laid bare in the noonday sun.  You decide whether or not this is a thrill or a terror to your heart.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For indeed, we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard.”

(Hebrews 4:2)

The Bible is the most powerful book ever written.  It has the best news, the most stirring speeches, the deepest poignant lessons, and the farthest-reaching ideals which ever touched the souls of man.

Yet, it must touch our souls through faith if it is to do its glorious work.  These divine words must be tethered to a heart of faith that will act upon what is read.  The Bible is not for academics; it is for action.  Critics and scholars never touch its glory though they pour over its pages.  The soul that will stoop in prayer and application over one verse gains more from Scripture than a thousand readers who never raise a finger for the Writer of the Holy Writ.

When we unite doing with hearing – believing with reading – then the profit comes.  Find one verse today to act upon.  After all, He wrote it for you.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“But encouraging one another day after day, as long as it is still called “today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

(Hebrews 3:13)

Today is the best day!  It is the day you have.  Yesterday is a day for historians. Tomorrow is a day for dreamers.  Today is the day for doers!  It is the day when encouragement and change happen.

When is the best time to encourage others? Today.

When is the best time to say those words that ought not to be left unsaid? Today.

When is the best time to remind each other that we are not alone? Today.

When is the best time to fight the calcifying effects of sin and start with better habits? Today.

Revel in today, for someday, there will be no more today at all.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For assuredly, He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendants of Abraham.”

(Hebrews 2:16)

I am hard pressed to find a more encouraging verse in all of Hebrews.  The Lord helps us, not angels… us.

Help is the act of making someone else’s life easier through your own effort and resources.  The literal phrase here in Hebrews is “to take upon or seize”.  Jesus has seized upon our plight and extended His efforts and resources to our aid.  His suffering has made ours easier and His pains have paved the path for our renewal.

Perhaps, you are feeling that life is too difficult and the path God would have you live and the burdens you must carry are too heavy to bear.  The knot of our past can be untangled with help from the King, and He bears our loads and places an easier yoke upon our shoulders.

If the command seems too hard or the road too steep – don’t worry.  He’s here to help.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“How will we escape if we neglect so GREAT a salvation?”

(Hebrews 2:3a)

We have the Bible in printed form, digital form, and indexed for searching – isn’t it GREAT?

We live in the era after Jesus died on the cross, so we know how much God loves us – isn’t it GREAT?

We have the time, health, and freedom to work for the Lord like no other generation could – isn’t it GREAT?

What will history say of the Christians of 2021?

“They were given so much, and they did so much with it!”

OR

“They were given great things, but they did so little with it!”

The choice is ours, and it’s a great one.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it.”

(Hebrews 2:1)

Drifting is the act of slowly being carried off.  When a boat drifts away from the dock, it does so at an almost imperceptible speed.  When a leaf floats on the wind, the current lazily carries it to the ground in a graceful fall.  Drifting is calm and subtle, and that’s why spiritual drift is so dangerous. Like a tired commuter, the car gently glides into the wrong lane of traffic, and everything is peaceful until it isn’t.

The problem with life is that if you don’t pay attention to your soul, you’ll start to drift where you don’t want to go.  Drift is the slow killer of Christians and the anesthesia of the lost.  It doesn’t feel bad, but they call them snow drifts for a reason: y’all end up piled together with the crowd by default.

You won’t drift into the narrow path of salvation.  It takes diligence, attention, and active engagement in your spiritual life to grow in Christ.  Heaven doesn’t happen by accident.  You must choose to hear, choose to pay attention, and own your spiritual growth.  Don’t be a drifter.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“And like a mantle you will roll them up, like a garment, they will also be changed. But You are the same, and your years will not come to an end.”

(Hebrews 1:12)

After a long day of toil and sweat, it’s time change your clothes.  They were good clothes, but they’ve served their purpose, and as the twilight arrives, we seek more comfortable attire.  Every day is the same: get up, get dressed, work hard, and then change our garments when the work is done.

This earth is one big garment.  Now we work, but won’t it be glorious when it’s time to change?

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son…”

(Hebrews 1:1-2)

The term ‘last days’ often leads our minds to think about the end of time, yet that is not the intended idea in this passage.  ‘Last’ refers to ‘the end of a sequence of things or events’.  The writer of Hebrews is pointed our minds to the history leading up to Jesus.  In the past, God had spoken to fathers like Abraham and Isaac, national leaders like Moses and David, or prophets such as Habakkuk or Deborah.

In each of these communications, God had given the hearers partial knowledge and, with that, partial authority to invoke His name.  All those fathers and prophets were dominoes dropping in an orderly sequence of events that led to Jesus whom God gave “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18).

There are no further revelations or future prophets and saviors to look for on the horizon.  Jesus is the Omega; He is the last and the best.  We look for no further teachings from God.  The New Testament is the completion of His commentary to mankind, and it contains the message of Jesus – the one who died for us.  He is the last because He is the completion, and we need no one else.

“And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Matt. 4:4 #Biblebites

“And he stayed two full years in his own rented quarters and was welcoming all who came to him…”

(Acts 28:30)

Evangelism comes in many forms.  In Paul’s case, when he couldn’t go out with the gospel, he made sure the seekers could come in.  The key word is ‘welcoming’.  Paul had an open-door policy while under house arrest in Rome, and his availability allowed him to continually reach the lost becomes those looking for answers found him to be accessible.

Which begs the question: are we available and accessible?  If someone is seeking answers, doing soul-searching, and looking for a welcoming heart to help, would they look to us?  If we are too busy for the lost, then we are not available.  If we are not interested in people and their problems, we will not be welcoming… and if we are never around the lost, we will not be accessible.

Evangelism involves being genuinely curious about the lives of others so that we make ourselves open to them and their struggles.  When our hearts and our doors are open, those who are asking, seeking, and knocking (see Matthew 7:7) might just find Christ through us.

Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites