“19 Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), 21 and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.
23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25 not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:19-25
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So, since our Great High Priest has opened the way to the heart of God through His own flesh & blood, since He has borne the weight of all our sin & shame and provided shelter from death and pain and sorrow, let us then live accordingly & in thanksgiving. If you were about to step in front of a bus today & a loved one pushed you out of the way only to be struck and killed themselves, would you live each day thankful for them and their love for you? If you were sick, dying and needed a transfusion, a kidney or a bone marrow transplant and a relative gave that up for you so you could be well and live, would you be grateful every day? The comparisons could roll on and still none of them would measure up to what Christ has done for us, yet we sometimes seem to forget, and our thankfulness wanes, our gratefulness comes up lacking.

And that is why the author says, “Let us hold on to our confession of faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” It’s a loving reminder that God is steady still in that love that saved us, so we should also be steady in our lives of thanksgiving & faith. It’s not a crazy or unexpected thing that we should live our lives as a sacrifice in return, poured out for Him. So, let us hold on without wavering to that wonderful faith!

And in this life of love & thanksgiving & faithfulness, we learn that our eyes are not simply focused on self, but instead our eyes focus as His eyes do, on others. The more we draw near to Him, the more we see and understand how it is we are to live and love in His Name. So, we GoLove each other, we promote good works, we make the gathering of believers a priority and encourage one another in that same love that sustains us.

I will never understand the people who claim Christ, yet do not make the gathering of His Bride a priority. I do not understand people who say that they can ‘do church’ on their own. That’s like saying, “I can be a crowd by myself. I can be a community of one.” It’s nonsense, and it’s a denial of one of the most basic parts of our life in Christ. So go, love others, show that same love to the bride of Christ and live in that beautiful faith today.