“Let us draw near to God,”  Hebrews 10:21

 I once attended a church conference where the speaker stepped on the platform carrying a head of lettuce.  He slowly began to peel off the leaves, explaining why as he did so.  The Bible passage was Hebrews 10:21-25.  I didn’t know lettuce was in the Bible, so I listened carefully!  This was a different kind, not the “salad greens” we usually associate with lettuce!

The first leaf was, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith……with a clean conscience, (v. 21-22.)  We can draw near to God by reading His word, prayer and examining ourselves to see if our hearts are right before God.  A well-known evangelist said his life verse was, “I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.” Acts 24:16. 

The second leaf was, “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful.”  Hebrews 10:23.  In this day we live in where “anything goes” and people do whatever is right in their own eyes, we have to look for ways to stand up for our faith.  We’re in a battle, satan goes about as a “roaring lion,” looking for men and women to devour!  It hurts me deeply to see children raised in Christian homes who grow up and turn their backs on the Savior.  If they ever were truly the Lord’s own, they will quickly lose their joy and open themselves up to the lies of the culture they live in.  Let us “hold fast,” we have a faithful God who never leaves us and will stand with us in any situation!

The third leaf was, “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”  Hebrews 10:24.  The Body of Christ is an amazing thing!  There is nothing quite like it!  If you have a church family who supports you with prayer, financial support when you need it, and encourages you to serve, you are truly blessed!

The fourth leaf was, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing,” Hebrews 10:25.  It is so easy to become a lazy Christian and worship at “Saint Mattress of the springs” on Sunday morning and just sleep in.  After all, you reason, it’s your only “day off!”  Don’t think about how your church can meet your “needs,” but what you can do for the body of believers worshipping there.  Ask the Lord for opportunities to be a blessing, spread love and seek to build up the saints.

The fifth leaf was, “Let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching,” Hebrews 10:25.  Our Lord is coming soon!  The signs are all there!  Signs in the sky, signs in the weather, signs in the anti-God condition of the world.  I’ve been convicted to pray for revival, a last gathering-in before the great Day of the Lord.  Let us all encourage one another!  We have a message and so much to look forward to as believers in Jesus Christ!

I will never look at a salad in the same way again!

Your friend, Jean