Hebrews 10:19-25, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter
the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us
through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house
of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that
faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
In John chapter 9, we see Jesus healing a man who was blind from birth. The disciples implied this man was blind because of sin, either his own or his parents’ (v. 2). Later on, the Pharisees make the exact claim (v. 34). Although the healing of this man’s blindness
changed him physically and spiritually, it didn’t have the same effect on those around
him. However, it did bring awareness—planted the seed—of who Jesus really was to his
parents, the community and the leaders. At a later date this would no doubt come back
to encourage some of them after Jesus was crucified, buried and risen.
Praying and worshipping go hand in hand. There are many types of prayers. There are
many ways to worship. Over the next three devotionals we will break that down by discussing: worshipping by encouraging each other, praying for each other, and growing together in exhortation.
Worship by encouraging each other.
We are tasked to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good
deeds,” (v. 24). It seems only natural to look at the verses for some clues on how we can do this. First, we can “enter the Most Holy place by the blood of Jesus Christ”—all former restrictions have been removed because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and we have full access to him without any further sacrifice.
His body was the “new way”, the “curtain” was removed (Hebrews 10:19-20). The curtain was the old way, and it had been the physical barrier to the Most Holy place. God is faithful in his promises to us. We can have full hope and assurance he will keep his promises. Both of these are more than enough encouragement to spur our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ toward love and good deeds.
Paul wraps it up in verse 25 with two final points of instruction. First, he says we should
make sure we continue to meet together. According to his words here, some had abandoned gathering together. The body of Christ functions best when it works together.
There are multiple instances where the Church is referred to as the body of Christ
(Romans 12:4-5, 1 Cor. 12, Eph. 4:4 and 12-16). God’s intention is for the body to be edifying, lifting up each other. I agree that sometimes we fail at this. We’re human, but it is our responsibility to encourage each other.
He also says we should encourage each other “more as you see the Day approaching.” The Day? The Day of Christ’s return. Well, since we don’t know when that is, more must
mean more every single day. Each day can’t be the same as yesterday then. We need to
up the care and attention we give to others every single day.
I don’t know about you, but that’s a tall order! There is no way I am able to accomplish
this on my own strength, abilities or thought process. I love people. I’m a natural encourager, and I’m not a particularly competitive person. But honestly, this is not my giftedness.
My love for people is to be on mission with them. I love doing, accomplishing, moving forward in the kingdom. So I get sidetracked sometimes with by my mind going, “Hey! We’re in this together and we’re getting stuff done!” That’s all the encouragement I need, but I forget to settle down sometimes and give some actual high-fives and pats on the back. Being attentive at the right times can only happen in my life through prayer and worship. That allows my heart to be open and allows the Holy Spirit to prompt me.
The account of Jesus’ healing the blind man has a lot to teach us. Although the community didn’t receive the truth about who Christ was, they were at the very least introduced to his miraculous power and his divine person. Read John chapter 9 and make notes on the parts where you see encouragement played out. Also, make notes about things you’ve never seen in this passage before.
In your prayer time today, ask God to show you how to be more encouraging.
Our new memory verse for the next few devotionals, Romans 15:5-6, “May God who gives endurance and encouragement help you all agree with each other the way Christ Jesus wants. Then together you will praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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