Hebrews 3:1-2, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.”
This week, while scrolling through some emails and texts, I noticed a note from a friend. The friend sent me a picture of a wrist band that read, WWJD. The acronym stands for What Would Jesus Do. Below that picture was another with a band that read, JWNHGHITMITFP. Acronym for Jesus Would Not Have Gotten Himself Into This Mess In The First Place. There was a note connected to the pictures which asked, “Which is more accurate?” When I saw the pictures and read the note I couldn’t refrain from a grin and a bit of a chuckle.
While living in this world, a child of grace can really make some big messes. We have a long history of mistakes, stumbles and miscues. Any of us are able to stroll down memory lane and wish we would have done things differently. The third chapter of Hebrews tells us about some mistakes and bad decisions made by children of God in times past. Those decisions were very costly and the consequences were severe. The penman of the Hebrew letter cited these to exhort the readers of Hebrews to not make the same mistakes.
The writer of this precious letter in God’s Holy Word started the third chapter by directing our minds toward Jesus. He had already confirmed in chapter one that our eternal salvation was by Him and Him alone (see Hebrews 1:3) and had also told the reader that all the family of God had eternal security in eternal salvation being one with the Lord Jesus Christ. The beginning of chapter three is sweet when we consider. The One that loved you enough to die for your sins on the Cross of Calvary, the One Who is powerful enough to eternally keep you saved in Him, gave us all an example of living in this wicked and sinful world. So instead of asking what would Jesus do?, we can go back and read scripture and learn what Jesus did. The Lord, according to 1 Peter 2:21, gave His children an example to follow. The writer of the Hebrew letter knew this fact and directs our minds to Him Who did everything right every time.
Now the question arises, ‘”But Br Ronnie, I’ve already made mistakes. I’ve failed to do what was right. What do I need to do?” The answer is simple and comforting at the same time. We should repent of wrongs and go to Him Who loved us before the foundation of the world. The Lord not only gave us an example, He is also very forgiving and helping to those who desire to do what’s right. If you, dear child of grace, can look back on your life and see where you failed to follow Jesus, you are not alone. The Bible teaches that we all have failed to be what we should be. But our failures do not change the love and care of God for His little sheep. The Lord is a Shepherd like no other. He will receive you into His arms and care for you beyond the imagination of your mind. And One Who cares for us like that, is well deserving of us following Him in obedience as the greatest example this world has ever received. Ain’t God good? Amen!