December 21 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Hebrews 6:

¹Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
²Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
³And this will we do, if God permit.
⁴For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
⁵And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
⁶If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
⁷For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:
⁸But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
⁹But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
¹⁰For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
¹¹And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
¹²That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
¹³For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself,
¹⁴Saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee.
¹⁵And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.
¹⁶For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife.
¹⁷Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:
¹⁸That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:
¹⁹Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
²⁰Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.

Devotional

A ship without an anchor is driven hither and thither by the wind, and may at any time be dashed against the rocks. So it is with the soul of man. If it is to weather the storms, it must have an anchor. The anchor of our soul is our hope. This hope God has set before us. This hope is Christ. He is called "the hope of glory." He as our great high priest has passed into the heavens, entered into that within the veil by his own blood, "having ob­tained eternal redemption for us." He is called the "forerunner." His people shall follow him. They can even now rejoice in hope of the glory of God. That does not mean that they can live care­lessly. We read that "Christ is a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Again we read, "We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end . . . looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Such hope is an anchor sure and steadfast.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus' blood and righteousness . . . .
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

Prayer

Our Father, the great transaction is done: atonement has been made. The price is paid, and we have free access to Thy throne of grace. We thank Thee that Jesus obtained an eternal redemption for us; that we now have a sure hope that maketh not ashamed. Help us that we may abide in him who is our hope, even Christ; that when He shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. May we be clothed in his righteousness alone, faultless to stand before his throne. In his name we pray. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Heb. 6:8; Col. 1:27; Heb. 4:14; 6:19; 9:12; 6:20; Rom. 5:2; Heb. 3:6; 6:11; Titus 2:13.

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