What's In Our Mind & Heart
By Dr. Roger Vogel
The writer of Hebrews give us in Hebrews 10:22-25 four commands of things that should occupy the believer’s mind and heart. These are all based on the finished work of Christ (Hebrews 10:12-17), the fact that there is no other sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 19:18), and because of that believers can boldly enter the presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-21).
Note these four commands:
- Hebrews 10:22 – “Let us draw near…” – Has to do with our personal relationship with the Lord. If our “hearts have been sprinkled from an evil conscience” by the blood of Jesus Christ and our bodies have been washed with the pure water of the Word of God, we can draw near to God. And we can draw near with full assurance.
Every day when the believer wakes up, a part of his thought for the day ought to be “How am I going to grow in my personal relationship with the Lord today?”
- Hebrews 10:23 – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope…” – This command has to do with our witness for Christ. Christ is our hope. We have the great privilege of confessing Him to others. We are commanded to do that unwaveringly because all God has promised us is sure because He is faithful.
Every day a believer awakens, one of the thoughts that occupies his mind ought to be, “How and to who can I share Christ today?”
- Hebrews 10:24 – “Let us consider one another…” – Our relationship to fellow believers is in view in this command. We are commanded to consider carefully each other so we can stir one another up to love and good works
Each day a believer should be thinking of and looking for opportunities to minister to other believers.
- Hebrews 10:25 – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” The mutual ministry of believers takes place where they gather. So a believer should be occupied with doing all he or she can to make sure they are present in the local Bible-believing and practicing church with which they have identified. God knows we need that fellowship together
By the use of the word translated “forsaking,” the writer tells us we endanger the group when we desert.”
What a great privilege to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior. Let’s check ourselves and see if these four commands summarize our thinking, planning and behavior.
