Hebrews Chapter 10: Verses 22-23 (NIV)
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.
When we go to visit someone’s home, we often take something with us as a gift for having us. When we come before God its tempting therefore to want to bring something with us to prove our gratitude and thanks. But today’s reading carries on yesterday’s theme. We come into God’s presence because of the sacrifice made by Jesus. We don’t bring anything that we have done when we come before God. Instead, we come in sincerity and in faith.
But when we are getting on with the business of the day before us, we are not expected to leave that sincerity and faith behind. It’s not just for our quiet time with God, or for our church services. We are meant to hold on to our faith no matter what, without wavering or depending on our circumstances. God isn’t looking for fair weather Christians who only come before Him on high days or holidays. He wants us to come faithfully, even when we don’t feel like it. As the writer to the Hebrews reminds us, God Himself is faithful to us and He will never let us down. That gives us the encouragement to be faithful to Him in return.
Dear Lord,
I’m grateful for Your faithfulness and grace that You have shown to me, in spite of me being up and down, and often led by my emotions. Help me to walk by faith and not be reliant on my feelings, or on doing things for You that You haven’t asked for. I ask all these things in the precious Name of Jesus who is the One that made it possible to come before You. Amen.