God encourages us through the prophet Jeremiah to call out to God, for He “will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” May we be a people who seek to know, love, and share the Word of God–recognizing that these very words are the key to life, light, and freedom for the people of God.

It’s easy to forget all that our good and generous God has given us. We can be tempted to believe we are owners rather than stewards. When we think we own our “stuff”, it can actually start to own us. Just as Abraham was moved to respond to Melchizedek’s greatness with generosity, how much more should we, as followers of Jesus, respond to His greatness with open-handed generosity?

True peace comes from knowing God’s abundant generosity toward us in Christ so that we can live in right relationship with God and others.

God’s unwavering commitment to His covenant is the ground of our hope. Hope for believers is faith patiently practiced as we recognize our anchor, Jesus, is secured forever within the veil.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to walk as Jesus walked. Through the Holy Spirit, we can bring freedom where there is bondage, justice where there is injustice, and mercy where there is suffering. These things will rarely be easy. But we have found that in light of eternity, not engaging in these things is always worse than choosing to step into the hard things around us.

The author of Hebrews uses this passage to encourage his readers towards a deeper assurance of their salvation. He does this, not so that they would doubt, but that they instead may strengthen their roots in the gospel and be spurred on towards increasing hope.

The author to the Hebrews writes with a broken heart over their complacency which breeds immaturity. Followers of Jesus are called to pursue faithfulness and maturity within the specific seasons they journey through in the Christian life.

Just as every high priest is appointed to offer sacrifices for atonement as well as sympathize with God’s people, Jesus has become our true and better High Priest in these ways. As our perfect High Priest, He provides eternal mediation and salvation for God’s people and sympathizes with their weakness having embraced weakness Himself during the days of flesh.

Jesus is the true and better high priest. He is able to sympathize with us in our weakness–as He too was tempted and endured much pain and heartache during his time on earth. Unlike us however, is the reality that Jesus endured these temptations and heartache, but did so without sin! Because of this, he is now the perfect representative for us before the Father. Praise God then, that we can now approach the Father with confidence–knowing that the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.

The Holy Spirit has come and fills followers of Jesus to empower them to witness to the world about the marvelous power of the gospel.