2 minute read.
Daily Reading: Ezekiel 3:16-6:14 ESV, Hebrews 4:1-16 ESV, Psalm 104:24-35 ESV, Proverbs 26:27 ESV
Daily Verse: “For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” (Hebrews 4:2 ESV)
OPHELEIA (5623): “Signifies “to be useful, do good, profit,” and is translated “profit” in Heb. 4:2.”[1]
Do good.
Receiving God’s message requires a heart ready for instruction. Hardened hearts can’t accept. If you think about an M&M, the crisp shell protects the soft chocolate inside. When people experience pain, they create self-defense mechanisms to protect their hearts from future damage. If the outer surface becomes too thick, nothing can penetrate it.
Paul warns the Hebrews not to let their hearts harden. People head in the wrong direction when they hear the message but don’t put it into practice in their life. Jesus calls us to follow Him; you must move to follow.
Fluid faith.
Absorbing Jesus’s message of unconditional love into your life causes movement. The first step of faith happens when you believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. From that moment onward, Jesus leads you into becoming a new person.
Faith keeps flowing and moving as you pursue a deeper relationship with Jesus. Reading about His life, studying the scriptures, and applying them to your life all take steps of faith, especially putting Jesus’ commands into action and making them a reality in your life.
Working on forgiving someone who hurt you takes faith. When you tithe to the local church, faith causes the action. And when you confess your sins, trusting God forgives you, faith lets you accept His grace.
As long as God leaves us on earth, we’ll take faith steps. But when the Good Lord calls us home, we’ll no longer need faith; in His presence, we’ll live.
[1] Strong, J., & Strong, J. (2010). The New Strong’s expanded exhaustive concordance of the Bible. Greek Dictionary of the New Testament (p. 277) Thomas Nelson
