It’s always good to be reminded of, and to go back to, the basics. It is so to get caught up in all the complexity and the detail. And it is sometimes necessary. But we can get lost if we’re not careful. Further, we can get in our own, head, and sabotage our performance if we don’t do the basics well. We can sabotage our lives if we fall away from what is truly important.

 
Image courtesy of: Gustavo Devito

Scripture:
“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. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” – Hebrews 10:22-23

Observation/Application: 
Today’s scripture reminds us of one of the most important and fundamental truths in life, to draw near to the Lord. We know this is super important when it comes to our faith and our walk with God by remembering what Jesus tells us.

When Jesus was asked which was the greatest commandment, he replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” – (Matthew 22:37) So we know that drawing near to God is super important and fundamental for us to be able to do.

And as we draw near to God, our hearts are washed clean of the guilt of sin. Our consciences are clean and our peace is restored. We no longer need to beat ourselves up for the mistakes of our past. As our hearts are purified we can experience love and joy to the fullest.

It also says that our bodies are washed clean with pure water. When we think of the body we think of things like our ligaments, bones, muscles, and everything that represents our physical health. But our bodies also include our minds and all of our less than perfect thoughts. all of this is washed clean through the washing of the Word of God as we draw near to Him.

Finally, today’s scripture tells us to hold unswervingly to the hope that can be found in our faith in Jesus Christ. We need to hold on to Christ like we hold onto that coffee, our favorite television show, our favorite sweet addiction. I’m joking, we obviously need to hold onto God tighter. But sometimes until we compare it to something that we love in the flesh, we can barely comprehend what it means to hold on tight to the Lord.

By holding on to the hope that we profess in Jesus, we can have confidence. Confidence leads to boldness. Boldness leads to courage guided by the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.

Let us draw near to God today, with a sincere heart that builds our faith, decreasing us while increasing Him.

#Simple-Beautiful-God

Prayer:
Dear heavenly Father, thank you for your Word this morning. Thank you for your love and mercy. Thank you for loving me even when I don’t love myself. Thank you for forgiving me even when I don’t feel like I deserve it. Thank you for continuing to build up in me an ever-increasing faith, and an ever-increasing understanding of You. Draw me close. Draw me closer even yet. The closer we get, the easier it is to hear you Lord, and the greater the opportunity for You to work in us. Help us to have a great day today. Fill us with more of you, so that what we can accomplish today will be far greater than our minds could ever imagine. We surrender fully to you. We humble ourselves at the foot of the cross. And we give you all the honor and glory and praise, in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

Today’s full reading: Isaiah 15-18; Hebrews 10

Scripture References From Today’s Reflection: 

• “In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.” – Ephesians 3:12
• “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” – 2 Corinthians 3:17
• “‘Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your Go with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment’.” – Matthew 22:36-38

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