“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb 10:22 AV)
A true heart in full assurance of faith. That is the condition of which we need to approach our living and loving God! A true heart in full assurance. That is quite a mouthful. That is no small thing. A true heart in full assurance is not something easily attained. First and foremost, our hearts can only be made true by the blood of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit. A heart that is fully assured finds itself there through the careful reading, studying, and application of the word of God by the work of the Holy Spirit. Having a true heart that is fully assured comes when God has His way and we willingly yield to it. What we must remember is that ‘true’ here does not mean sinless. It means sincere, founded on truth, and pointed toward truth. Think of a compass. It points to magnetic north, and not true north. Full assurance of faith does not mean absent of all fear or anxiety. A bit of trepidation is understandable. What God requires is a step toward Him regardless of the fear which may reside in our souls. In short, the apostle tells us that when we draw near to God, check our hearts for truthfulness and faith. The phrasing indicates this is possible and doable. We have it. Let us use it!
The phrase “all in” comes to mind. If one is going to do something, then he or she should do it 100%. The book of Acts in chapter twenty-seven relates Paul’s experience aboard a boat in the middle of a serious storm. Verse fifteen is one of those verses that are extremely descriptive of the event. They were caught in a storm, and Paul said that they stopped trying to control the ship and “let her drive”. They were all in. There was no turning back. Come what may, they were totally and completely in the hand of God. That is an anxious place to be. It is like those who choose to bungee jump. I was watching videos of this sort of thrill activity with people who were not prepared to jump of their own accord. Most were distracted by the professionals and then pushed off the ledge. They all had one thing in common. Not one single jumper enjoyed the experience. Not to say that they refused to repeat the jump. Perhaps they were once they got over the initial fear. But what we do know is that they did not like the experience as it started. Those who were wound back to the top did even worse. Those who go all in yell with exclamations of elation. Going all in changes the experience.
This is the apostle’s meaning of a true heart full of assurance. He tells the Hebrews that they had lingered enough in mediocrity and indecision. It was time to go all in. First by accepting their Messiah as their Savior. Now, it is time to do the same with everyday living. It is time to go all in. It is time to have a sincere heart toward the things of God, get right with God, and in spite of anxieties and concerns, to trust Him nonetheless. Time to go all in. “Let us” means to yield to the experience of an unobstructed relationship with the LORD. “Let us” means to let go of all that gets in the way of a relationship that can be much deeper than it currently is. “Let us” means we get out of the way of the work of the Holy Spirit and let Him do His thing. “Let us” go to God with a pure heart of assurance means to sit down and the table and never get up. It means deciding once and for all that we are God’s, and He is ours. It means to “let nothing between our soul and the Savior”!
No comments:
Post a Comment