Hebrews 6:9-12
What if you got a personal letter from your senior pastor,
it was written in long hand, and you knew it was not a form letter sent to the
congregation, and it was not asking for money, or wanting you to serve in
VBS. It began in this way,
Dear ______,
“For God is not so unjust as to
overlook your work and the love that you showed for his sake in serving the
saints, as you still do. And we
desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance
of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those
who though faith and patience inherit the promises.”
As you read the letter the second or third time, you grasp
that though it was written in long hand, the pastor had sent this same letter
to others in your church body. You
also realize that your pastor is not only giving you encouragement, he also is
telling you to stay in the race, to keep seeking the will of God, to not lean
on your own understanding, to stay in the word of God, and to keep your prayer
life seeking the will of God, and His kingdom.
To whom is the writer of this letter to the Hebrew Christians
referring to when he uses the word imitators; would it not be somebody that
they had the greatest respect and admiration for? Someone like Abraham, Noah, Jacob, or Joseph, all of these
inherited what had been promised to them.
The writer did not have to assign names, these names were etched into
their minds, these names and their actions, their faith, were taught to these
Hebrews from a very early age.
The writer is once more saying your Creator has chosen you
before you were conceived. Your
Creator designed you with a plan, you are like no one else, He values you and
He understands that you will become tired, and that the race is often
difficult, and it is sometime awkward to do or achieve. Often others in the race are cruel, and
the race is full of difficulty, many times when you need sympathy or gentleness
it seems as if no one cares, and there is always that voice that sounds like
you; it says no one really cares if you finish the race, surly God would not
require this of you.
For all who are in the race and you who will in the future
enter it, I have some great news, the letter did not have it’s origin with your
senior pastor, it came direct from the heart of God. Yes, it was written to some Hebrew brothers and sisters many
moons ago. God put into the hearts of men to assimilate all that we needed to
live life on planet earth and put them in a handbook on life, God refers to it as
His Word, and we call it the Holy Bible.
You will find what you need for each part of the race hidden in the
pages of His handbook on life, it is required reading if you hope to stay in
the race.
From the Back Porch,
Bob Rice
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