22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
I love how these verses say not to swerve. Could you imagine being a passenger (or even a driver) in a car that was constantly swerving back and forth all over the place, completely out of control? That would not be very fun… or good for your health. Our spiritual lives are also like this. It is not good to constantly go back and forth in your spiritual life. God wants a real relationship with you! Yes, He gives real grace. His mercies are new every day! But He also wants all of you: your whole heart, soul, and might1. He wants your sincerity; in fact, he requires it. Your relationship with God should be based on truth, not lies!
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another &emdash and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
It is absolutely crucial that you are deeply rooted in a biblical community. The Bible is full of metaphors such as “iron sharpening iron” and branches connected to a vine. Personally, I have found that without community, you are left defenseless to the struggles of life and the enemy’s attacks. When hard times come, and your faith becomes weak, you need to surround yourself with other believers whose faith will make you strong. We should be meeting together regularly, talking with one another, eating together, shopping together, and walking together. We should always encourage one another, careful to treat others with the respect they deserve. We should try our very hardest to view them the way God views them, seeing His image on their faces. We should love one another, just as Christ loves us!
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Deuteronomy 6:5 , 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 , 1 Corinthians 10:31 ↩︎