Speaking to God with Confidence - Hebrews 4:16

"Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." The Hebrews writer encourages the Hebrew Christians to “draw near” to God's throne because they have the privilege of a personal relationship with God. Christians can come before God confidently and without fear that they will incur God's wrath because they have a High Priest, Jesus, Who identifies with His people because of his human experience and the sufferings he endured. Therefore, take your needs to God in prayer and speak plainly and honestly but with respect and reverence, knowing that Jesus was tempted in every area of human life just like you, yet He remained sinless, thus qualifying Him to intercede before God's throne for you.

God's X-Ray Vision - Hebrews 4:12

"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." The Hebrews writer reminds the Hebrew Christians about the faithless disobedience of the exodus generation of Israel. Faithless disobedience does not go unnoticed by God. The Word of God acts as God Himself to expose one's innermost thoughts and intentions. God's Word is like an x-ray that can penetrate a solid object and take images of the inside of the object. So we cannot hide any thought or motive from God's x-ray vision. God sees what is on the inside and we are accountable to God for not only our actions and behavior, but for the motives and intentions influencing our behavior. Therefore, let us constantly examine ourselves by letting God's Word penetrate our hearts and minds so that pleasing God becomes our primary motivation.

Who Is a True Christian? - Hebrews 3:14

"For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." Whether you believe that Christians who are once saved are always saved or if you believe that Christians can fall away, the sober warning in this passage should be taken seriously by Christians of both views. Being a Christian means you have resolved to be faithful to God no matter what happens in your life---it is a lifetime resolution. When a Christian experiences the ups and downs of life and remains faithful to God, it builds a confidence and assurance that one does, in fact, share in the eternal life of Christ. Because being a Christian doesn't always come easy, this verse provides a grave warning to everyone who claims to be saved to examine yourself carefully to be sure that you have the fortitude and resolve to persevere in your faith in Christ. Never mind trying to figure out who is a true believer and who is not; build up your own endurance because you belong to Christ if you hold fast your confidence to the end (vs. 5, 14).

The Thin Silence of God - 1 Kings 19:12-13

"And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” The emphasis on Mount Carmel where Elijah had battled the prophets of Baal had been on God's spectacular ways. Now the emphasis on Mount Sinai, the mountain of God, is on God's quiet ways. God was not to be found in the spectacular elements of the storm outside the cave: the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, but instead He spoke in a low whisper. The Hebrew is literally a thin silence. Listen closely because God speaks and reveals Himself in quietness, a whisper, a thin silence.

Complacency, Faith That Limps - I Kings 18:20-40

"And Elijah came near to all the people and said, 'How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.' And the people did not answer him a word." (vs. 21). The Hebrew word for "limping" occurs again in v. 26, where the prophets of Baal “limped around the altar.” The irregular steps of their ritual dance portray an inability to move properly. Elijah compares the worship of the people to the irregular ritual dancing of the prophets of Baal saying that because the people of Israel refuse to choose between the Lord and Baal and want to retain both, their faith is limping. And because of their limping faith--their complacency--they were easily deceived and led into spiritual corruption. God requires our complete commitment, our total belief. "Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord with slackness" (Jeremiah 48:10).

The Principle of God's Provision - 1 Kings 17:8-16

"For thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'” (vs. 14). We sometimes think that God provides for us by giving us more of what we already have. For example, if we are experiencing financial difficulties, we pray for more money; if our home is too small, we pray for a bigger one; if our car is too old, we pray for a newer one. In God's Kingdom, however, God provides for us by increasing or extending our need or deficiency rather than giving us more of what we already have in abundance, especially when our deficiencies are offered totally and willingly to the Lord. The story of Elijah and the widow of Zerapheth clearly demonstrates this principle. The prophet Elijah encountered a widow and her young son during a severe drought in Israel. The widow and son were about to eat their last meal using the last remaining flour and oil left in the house. Elijah asked the widow to first feed him before feeding herself and her son. Although the widow was not herself an Israelite and a child of God’s promise, she recognized Elijah as the representative of God’s covenant and obeyed Elijah’s request to give the very little she had to feed the prophet of God. The demand of total surrender of everything to God—even her last means of subsistence—was not given without the promise of God’s blessing and provision as stated in this verse. God’s pattern for supplying His provision is to supply deficient resources that are offered totally and willingly to the Lord.

Be An Example of Charm and Class - Colossians 4:5-6

"Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person." The Apostle Paul encourages the Colossian Christians to be what we would call  "charming" or "classy" to non-Christians. Their conversation should be polite toward others and  filled with wisdom and understanding about the gospel message. Paul's comments assume that the Colossian believers regularly interact with non-believers in their local community. Paul wants the Colossian Christians to make a good impression on non-believers in a way that would commend the gospel to them. To win people to Jesus, you must be an example in your behavior, conduct, and conversation of the love and grace of God. The best way for non-believers to find Jesus is to see Him in you!