Hebrews 12: 18 – 29

May 18, 2022

18 For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,

19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:

20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:

21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)

22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:

26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain.

28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

29 For our God is a consuming fire.

While I certainly appreciate the exhortation in the above verses, I never think of the bad things that will happen if I turn my back on Jesus. It is far greater, in my mind, to simply live in trust and joy in all that He has done for us – all the promises He has kept and will keep in time to come. I don’t need the whip to appreciate the carrot, so to speak

In Jesus are all the answers, all the promises, all that the Father gives us. Who could turn their back on joy unspeakable? Who walks away from the greatest love, the greatest friendship? There is more in Him than anything outside of Him – if there’s a full cup (Jesus) and an empty cup (the world), which one is going to be chosen?

I understand there are repercussions to not accepting Jesus but those things aren’t what drew me to Him; I can’t be bothered with them. What concerns me is finding ways to be pleasing in His sight, to walk my life as closely as I can to how He walked His life on earth. How do I amend my life so that when people look at me, it’s not me they see but Jesus reflected from my way of being. It’s tough task and requires constant work but I’ll take it.

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