#DailyDevotion Don’t Lose Your Rest Because You Don’t Have Faith

Heb. 4 We should be fearful then. While we still have the promise of coming to His place of rest, someone of you may be judged to have missed it. ²The good news came to us as it came to them, but the message they heard didn’t help them because those who heard it didn’t hear it with faith.

What a warning! Yet I meet people every day in the hospital whom I’m afraid have departed the faith. I live in a somewhat retirement and resort area. A lot of people retire here. I get to visit Lutherans in the hospital on a daily basis (they actually give me a list of Lutherans who didn’t say, no clergy visits). When I greet them, I ask what congregation they belong to. Far too many answer saying they haven’t been to Church in 20 years. I ask how long they have lived here and it’s been 20 years. They tell me how they were the president, treasurer, elder, Sunday School teacher, etc. at their last congregation. They think they have faith.

I tell them if they had faith in Jesus they would be gathering with His body, the saints. As it is now, I don’t believe they have a living faith. They are deceiving themselves if they think they do have a living faith. Of course, I still pray for their condition and invite them to come join us for worship when they get out of the hospital. Oftentimes, I will get the standard, “Well I pray and read my bible at home.” Good for you! Is that all we do or that happens to us on Sunday morning? Do we not confess our sins and hear from the pastor, as from Christ Himself, the words of forgiveness? Do we not hear Jesus preach to us through the sermon of the Pastor? Do we not receive from the pastor’s hands the very body and blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, the sealing of our faith, and the tokens of eternal life? You don’t receive these things sitting at home. God does not care about what you did 20 years ago when Today you are despising His Word, His Sacraments and His Body. In fact, you will be judged more harshly than those who never heard the Good News.

Just like the Israelites who heard the Good News and did not come to God’s place of rest because they did not believe, if we let our faith die and become unbelievers, we will not enter God’s place of rest. Today is all that God counts when determining whether we enter eternal life or eternal condemnation. If we believe today, well and good, eternal life, eternal rest is ours to have. Has not Jesus warned us in Luke 21, ³⁴“Be careful never to get your hearts burdened with drunkenness and its nausea and with worries about this life, or that day will take you by surprise like a trap. ³⁵It will surprise all people wherever they live on the earth. ³⁶But always watch and pray to be considered worthy to escape all these things that are going to happen and to stand before the Son of Man.” So let us watch and pray with all the saints. Go into your closet by yourself and pray. That is good. But also we watchful and gather with the saints of God around Word and Sacrament to preserve our faith and to keep our hearts from becoming hardened. In chapter 10 of Hebrews, the author tells us, “²⁴And let us consider how we can stimulate one another to love and to do good works. ²⁵Let us not stay away from our worship services, as some are regularly doing, but let us encourage one another, all the more because you see the day coming nearer.” May the LORD find us awake and watching with faith when He returns so we may enter into His rest.

Merciful God and Father, grant us ears and hearts that always want to hear the Good News so it may keep us awake and faithful until the coming of Your Son Jesus Christ, so we may enter into Your rest. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.