April 30, 2014
Read: Hebrews 4:1-11
It happens nearly every semester. I tell my freshman college writing class often that they need to keep up with the numerous writing assignments in order to pass the class. But nearly every semester some don’t believe me. They’re the ones who send me frantic emails after the last day of class and give me their reasons for not taking care of business. I hate to do it, but I have to tell them, “I’m sorry. It’s too late. You have failed the class.”
That’s bad enough when you’re a college freshman and you realize you’ve just wasted a couple thousand dollars. But there is a far more serious, more permanent finality that comes at the end of life if people haven’t taken care of business with God about their sin. In those cases, if people die without having put their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, they face an eternity without Him.
What a terrible moment it would be to stand before the Savior Himself and hear Him say, “I never knew you; depart from Me!” (Matt. 7:23). The author of Hebrews warns us to make sure we don’t “come short” (4:1) of the eternal rest offered by God. The good news is that it’s not too late. Today Jesus freely offers to us salvation and forgiveness through Him.
Come to Him through Jesus Christ, His loving Son;
He’ll forgive your sins and save your soul forever,
And you’ll love forevermore this faithful One. —Felten
Insight
In today’s passage we read: “But the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it” (v.2). The word translated “mixed” means to “comingle, to unite one thing with another.” The promises of God were proclaimed, but only those who believed and acted upon the promise profited by them.
