DEVOTION – DAY 616

Hebrews 4:16 “Approach God With Confidence”

Hebrews 4:16 “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

The writer of Hebrews in chapter 4 reminds us all that nothing we do can escape the notice of the Almighty, All-powerful, All-present Living God. But thank God, we have Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. Jesus Christ is the Son of God and vs15 tells us that Jesus had been tempted by every kind of temptation. That means that Jesus knows what we face and go through, Jesus faced the same kind of temptations we face except He did not sin. But because Jesus experienced human temptation, He stands ready to give help when we are tempted. We can approach God’s throne of grace confidently knowing that we will receive mercy and grace and help to flee from sin and temptation.

We have all seen numerous movies that show characters who had been wronged in some way, but they eventually triumph by taking out their revenge and give punishment to the “bad guys” at the end of the movies. It reinforced the idea that “revenge is sweet.” But the Bible teaches us that God is Sovereign and He is the one who avenges. Our duty is to love one another and to show mercy just as we have received mercy from God. 

We knew someone who lost a family member because of a traffic accident. The temptation for the victim’s family would be to demand that the guilty party be sent to prison for a long time, and to sue for damages for the loss suffered. However, the family knew that no amount of imprisonment and damages would bring back their dead family member. They asked the Lord to help them make the right decision whether to demand punishment and compensation for their loss. Hebrews 4 helped them to show mercy and grace instead. They experienced an inner peace and were able to move on with their lives. Today, looking back, they were glad that God gave them the strength to overcome their loss of a loved one. They do not feel bitterness against the person who had caused the traffic accident that killed their family member. They were glad they could approach God’s throne of grace anytime. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, we worship you for You are full of grace and mercy. Thank you for being our Great High Priest, who is always present in our time of need. Please help us to resist all temptation to sin, and to be obedient to your Word. We humbly pray in the precious name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

  1. What kind of wrong, misunderstanding, or injustice are you facing or have faced?
  2. How do you plan or planned to resolve this matter?
  3. To love and forgive those who have wronged us is not easy. How do you do that, to show mercy and love?
  4. Why should you show mercy and love to those who deserve punishment instead? Discuss.