If the first few chapters of this letter to the Hebrews were a slow build to define and describe the significance of God’s truth, the final two chapters are a rapid-fire plea for application.

At first, it may seem like Hebrews 13 is a list of dos and don’ts, but the author of Hebrews has made it clear that legalism – ceremonies and works to gain the favor of God – has no place in the lives of believers. Instead, the exhortations in this chapter are intended to guide us in our response to the truths that we have learned throughout the letter to the Hebrews. They are practical pictures of loving God and loving others. Under the New Covenant, we have access to God through Jesus Christ. He writes His laws on our hearts and puts the Holy Spirit within us to guide us into all truth (John 16:13). We will respond obediently in love for Him, and His commands will not be burdensome to us (1 John 5:3).

Through the author’s final exhortations and reminders, let’s allow the Word of God to pierce our souls, discern even the thoughts and intentions of our hearts, and convict us of how the Lord would have us respond to His truth.

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We've just got this one life to live, this one race to run, and the Lord cares about how we run it. God's encouragement and His discipline go hand-in-hand are both His gift to us as He guides and cares for us.

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We've finally come to the first chapter of Hebrews that we are likely already familiar with. We're so accustomed to reading Hebrews 11 and viewing it as an account of the incredible faithfulness of the ones who've gone before us. But what if instead, we viewed it as an account of those who can testify to the faithfulness of their God--of our God?

Whatever our circumstances, we can have confident faith not in our ability to have faith, but in our very faithful God.

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