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#DailyDevotion Live As If You Believe These Promises Are True

#DailyDevotion Live As If You Believe These Promises Are True

Hebrews 12: 14Try hard to live in peace with everyone and to be holy. Without holiness no one will see the Lord. 15See to it that no one loses God’s grace, that no root with bitter fruit grows up to trouble you and so defiles many of you, 16that no one lives in sexual sin or is unholy like Esau, who for one meal sold his rights as the firstborn, 17You know that later, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected. He had no chance to change his mind although he begged for it with tears.

Since we have such great promises of God taught us here in the book of Hebrews and such great promises have given us faith like those who have preceded us, Hebrews exhorts us into how we should live out that faith. In the earlier verses we were encouraged to stand up and remain faithful even if we should experiencing hardships and suffering, keeping our eye on Jesus and what he endured.

Now we are called to try hard to live in peace and in holiness. Jesus is our peace. (Eph. 2:14ff) Jesus has brought peace between you and God-2Co 5:19 “that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” Paul reminds us, Rom 5:1 “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus says, Joh 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

Now this peace is the peace in which God no longer holds our trespasses against us for the sake of Christ. For the sake of Christ then, do not hold your neighbor’s trespasses against you against them. Forgive them just as God in Christ Jesus has forgiven you. Seek not only your own interest but look into the interest of your neighbor and how you may serve them.

Strive for holiness. That is to say separate from yourselves from the engaging in the wicked acts of this world. We may always be living amongst the wicked but we don’t have to live like the wicked. While without holiness no one will see God, the only holiness we can stand in before God is the holiness of Christ Jesus who is our righteousness, wisdom and holiness.. (1 Cor. 1) Yet Christ being our holiness you move us to live in holiness.

Encourage one another to live in the grace of God and not lose God’s grace. Hebrews attaches losing God’s grace by holding resentments. Resentments are nothing less than not forgiving those who have sinned against us. Jesus says if we don’t forgive one another from our hearts we should not think God will forgive us either. (Matt. 18)

Living in holiness precludes living in sexual sins. That would be all sex outside the bounds of marriage. It defiles our bodies which are the temple of God.

Finally he holds for Esau who for a pot of beans gave us his inheritance. Likewise the world and all its troubles, all of its cares, all of its alluring promise of wealth in this life have cause others to renounce the faith. The desire for the things of this world becomes greater than the desire for the riches Christ has stored up in heaven for those who trust and love him. Be sure to love Christ more than anything else in this world including your life or even your family or any possession. Jesus promises more of these things in this life and in the world to come. Just remain faithful to him. He was faithful to you to the point of death even death upon the cross.

Almighty and most merciful Father, so fill us with your Holy Spirit through the promises of life and salvation through Jesus that we may live at peace with all men, especially our enemies and love your life and Christ more than all the world has to offer. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

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Rev. Guillaume J. S. Williams, Sr.

The Reverend Guillaume Williams is the Pastor of Hope Lutheran Chapel of Osage Beach, Missouri. His pastoral ministry with Hope began in 2005 where he preaches the Christ crucified.

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